Peripheral Neuropathy in Spanish

What it means

Peripheral neuropathy is a nerve problem that causes pain, numbness, tingling, swelling, or muscle weakness in different parts of the body. It usually begins in the hands or feet and gets worse over time. The peripheral nerves branch off from the brain and spinal cord and connect to all parts of the body, including the muscles and organs. Peripheral nerve disorders happen when one or more of these nerves are damaged, and there are more than 100 different types. Diabetes is the most common cause of peripheral nerve disorders; other causes include physical injury, infections, certain cancers and their treatment, and contact with certain toxic substances. To find out if a person has a peripheral nerve disorder, a provider may order blood tests and nerve tests.

Spanish term: Neuropatía Periférica
Gender and article: feminine: la neuropatía periférica
Pronunciation: neh-oo-roh-pah-TEE-ah peh-ree-FEH-ree-kah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
neuropatía	General	Short form; the Spanish entry of the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms says the condition is also called neuropatía.
enfermedades del sistema nervioso periférico	General	Broader page title, not an exact synonym: the MedlinePlus en español topic page carries this title and lists neuropatía periférica under "Otros nombres".
enfermedades de los nervios periféricos	General	Broader wording, not an exact synonym: MedlinePlus en español uses it in the text of that page for disorders in which one or more peripheral nerves are damaged.

Neuropatía periférica is feminine: NIDDK writes la neuropatía periférica and describes it as un tipo de daño en los nervios (a type of nerve damage). The Spanish entry of the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms adds that it is also called simply neuropatía. MedlinePlus en español files the term under a broader page title, enfermedades del sistema nervioso periférico, and lists neuropatía periférica there as another name.

The symptom words differ between these sources. For tingling, MedlinePlus en español and NIDDK say hormigueo, while the NCI dictionary says cosquilleo; for numbness, the first two say entumecimiento and the NCI dictionary says adormecimiento. NIDDK describes the tingling as punzadas de "alfileres y agujas" (pins and needles) and uses ardor for a burning feeling. NIDDK's Spanish page also names the prueba de monofilamento, in which the feet and some toes are touched with a nylon strand to see whether the person can feel it.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My feet tingle and burn, especially at night.	Siento hormigueo y ardor en los pies, sobre todo por la noche.
Clinician	Do you feel numbness in your hands or feet?	¿Siente entumecimiento en las manos o en los pies?
Patient	Sometimes I can't feel the floor when I walk, and I lose my balance.	A veces no siento el piso al caminar, y pierdo el equilibrio.
Clinician	Do you have diabetes, or does anyone in your family have nerve problems?	¿Tiene diabetes, o alguien de su familia tiene problemas de los nervios?
Clinician	I am going to touch your feet with a thin nylon strand. Tell me when you feel it.	Voy a tocarle los pies con un cordón fino de nailon. Dígame cuando lo sienta.
Patient	It hurts even when the sheet touches my feet.	Me duele incluso cuando la sábana me roza los pies.
Clinician	Please take off your shoes and socks so I can check your feet.	Por favor, quítese los zapatos y los calcetines para que le revise los pies.
Patient	Is the nerve damage going to get worse? What tests do I need?	¿Va a empeorar el daño en los nervios? ¿Qué pruebas necesito?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Peripheral Neuropathy
Spanish (Español)	Neuropatía Periférica
Chinese (中文)	周邊神經病變
Korean (한국어)	말초신경병증
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Bệnh thần kinh ngoại biên
Filipino (Tagalog)	Peripheral Neuropathy
Portuguese (Português)	Neuropatia Periférica
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	โรคเส้นประสาทส่วนปลาย
Japanese (日本語)	末梢神経障害

Where you'll see it

chartEOBreferralmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: G62 → Other and unspecified polyneuropathies

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.