Multiple Sclerosis in Spanish

What it means

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, together called the central nervous system. MS damages myelin, the protective coating around nerve cells; when myelin is damaged, messages between the brain and the body slow down or get blocked, which leads to symptoms. No one knows the exact cause, but many believe it is an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells. Symptoms vary from person to person and may include blurry or double vision, muscle weakness, numbness or tingling, and fatigue. There is no specific test for MS; providers may use a neurological exam, an MRI scan and a lumbar puncture. There is no cure, but treatment can help manage symptoms and slow the disease.

Spanish term: Esclerosis Múltiple
Gender and article: feminine: la esclerosis múltiple
Pronunciation: es-kleh-ROH-sees MOOL-tee-pleh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
EM	General	Spanish abbreviation used by MedlinePlus en español, where the English pages use MS; the encyclopedia also lists it among its alternative names.

Esclerosis múltiple is the term on both MedlinePlus en español pages, written in lowercase in running text, and it is feminine: la esclerosis múltiple. The Spanish abbreviation on those pages is EM, where the English pages use MS. The encyclopedia lists EM and enfermedad desmielinizante among its alternative names. The disease is described as autoinmune on the health topic page and as autoinmunitaria in the encyclopedia.

MedlinePlus en español names the types esclerosis múltiple recurrente remitente (relapsing-remitting), secundaria progresiva and primaria progresiva; the encyclopedia writes the first one remitente-recurrente. Flare-ups are brotes and relapses are recaídas; the encyclopedia also says ataques and remisiones. Other words from those pages: mielina (myelin), médula espinal (spinal cord), hormigueo (tingling), adormecimiento or entumecimiento (numbness), resonancia magnética (MRI) and punción lumbar (lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three years ago.	Me diagnosticaron esclerosis múltiple hace tres años.
Clinician	Which type of multiple sclerosis do you have: relapsing-remitting or progressive?	¿Qué tipo de esclerosis múltiple tiene: recurrente remitente o progresiva?
Patient	I think I am having a relapse; my legs feel weak and my hands are tingling.	Creo que tengo una recaída; siento debilidad en las piernas y hormigueo en las manos.
Clinician	Have you had blurry or double vision, or pain in your eyes?	¿Ha tenido visión borrosa o doble, o dolor en los ojos?
Patient	The fatigue gets worse in the late afternoon.	La fatiga empeora al final de la tarde.
Clinician	Do you have trouble with balance, walking or bladder control?	¿Tiene problemas de equilibrio, para caminar o para controlar la vejiga?
Clinician	I am going to order an MRI of your brain and spinal cord.	Voy a pedirle una resonancia magnética del cerebro y de la médula espinal.
Patient	My mother also has multiple sclerosis. Will I need a lumbar puncture?	Mi madre también tiene esclerosis múltiple. ¿Voy a necesitar una punción lumbar?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Multiple Sclerosis
Spanish (Español)	Esclerosis Múltiple
Chinese (中文)	多發性硬化症
Korean (한국어)	다발성 경화증
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Bệnh đa xơ cứng
Filipino (Tagalog)	Multiple Sclerosis
Portuguese (Português)	Esclerose Múltipla
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	โรคปลอกประสาทเสื่อมแข็ง
Japanese (日本語)	多発性硬化症

Where you'll see it

chartEOBreferralmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: G35 → Multiple sclerosis

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Brain and nerves

All terms in this area: Brain and nerves — Cerebro y nervios

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.