Pancreas in Spanish

What does the pancreas do?

According to NIDDK, the pancreas has two main functions: to make insulin and to make digestive juices, or enzymes, to help you digest food. These enzymes digest food in the intestine. MedlinePlus puts it as producing juices that help break down food and hormones that help control blood sugar levels.

The pancreas and diabetes

MedlinePlus explains that in type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked them. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals.

Terms built on the pancreas

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. MedlinePlus says it happens when digestive enzymes start digesting the pancreas itself. NIDDK distinguishes acute pancreatitis, which occurs suddenly and is a short-term condition, from chronic pancreatitis, a long-lasting condition, and says either form is serious and can lead to complications. The adjective is pancreatic, as in pancreatic cancer, pancreatic juices, and the pancreatic duct, which NIDDK mentions when it lists narrowing or blockage in a bile or pancreatic duct among the complications of pancreatitis.

What it means

The pancreas is a gland behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It produces juices that help break down food and hormones that help control blood sugar levels. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) describes it as a glandular organ located in the abdomen that makes pancreatic juices, which contain enzymes that aid in digestion, and produces several hormones, including insulin; it is surrounded by the stomach, intestines, and other organs. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) adds that it is a large gland close to the first part of the small intestine, called the duodenum. Problems with the pancreas include pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, and pancreatic cancer, and the pancreas also plays a role in diabetes.

Pancreas in Spanish

Spanish term: Páncreas
Gender and article: masculine: el páncreas
Pronunciation: PAHN-kreh-ahs

Páncreas is the word used by MedlinePlus en español and by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, and it is masculine: el páncreas. MedlinePlus en español describes it as una glándula localizada detrás del estómago y por delante de la columna, and the NCI dictionary as an órgano glandular localizado en el abdomen. The adjective is pancreático: the NCI entry speaks of jugos pancreáticos (pancreatic juices), and MedlinePlus en español gives enfermedades pancreáticas as another name for diseases of the pancreas and mentions los conductos pancreáticos (the pancreatic ducts).

Pancreatitis is spelled the same in both languages; MedlinePlus en español glosses it as inflamación del páncreas. Pancreatic cancer is cáncer de páncreas. Words that appear with the term on these pages are enzimas digestivas (digestive enzymes), insulina (insulin), hormonas (hormones) and niveles de azúcar en la sangre (blood sugar levels). For type 2 diabetes, MedlinePlus en español writes diabetes tipo 2 and says that in it el páncreas pierde la capacidad de segregar suficiente insulina en respuesta a las comidas.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Your blood tests suggest that your pancreas is inflamed.	Sus análisis de sangre sugieren que tiene el páncreas inflamado.
Patient	What does the pancreas do?	¿Qué hace el páncreas?
Clinician	It makes juices that help digest food, and hormones, such as insulin, that help control blood sugar.	Produce jugos que ayudan a digerir los alimentos, y hormonas, como la insulina, que ayudan a controlar el azúcar en la sangre.
Patient	I have severe pain in my upper belly that goes through to my back.	Tengo un dolor intenso en la parte alta del abdomen que me llega hasta la espalda.
Clinician	Have you ever had pancreatitis or gallstones?	¿Ha tenido alguna vez pancreatitis o cálculos biliares?
Patient	My mother had pancreatic cancer. Should I tell the specialist?	Mi madre tuvo cáncer de páncreas. ¿Debo decírselo al especialista?
Clinician	We are going to do a CT scan of your abdomen to look at the pancreas.	Vamos a hacerle una tomografía computarizada del abdomen para ver el páncreas.
Patient	The report mentions the pancreatic duct. Can you show me where that is?	El informe menciona el conducto pancreático. ¿Puede mostrarme dónde está?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Pancreas
Spanish (Español)	Páncreas
Chinese (中文)	胰臟
Korean (한국어)	췌장
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Tuyến tụy
Filipino (Tagalog)	Pancreas
Portuguese (Português)	Pâncreas
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ตับอ่อน
Japanese (日本語)	膵臓

Where you'll see it

CT abdomen reportlab resultsendoscopy report

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: Digestive system

All terms in this area: Digestive system — Sistema digestivo

Sources

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