Psoriasis in Spanish

What it means

Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales. The patches usually appear on the elbows, knees, scalp, back, face, palms and feet, but they can show up on other parts of the body. A problem with the immune system causes psoriasis: in a process called cell turnover, skin cells that grow deep in the skin rise to the surface, which normally takes a month but in psoriasis happens in just days. Psoriasis is not contagious, can last a long time, even a lifetime, and its symptoms come and go. Some people who have psoriasis also get a form of arthritis called psoriatic arthritis. In Spanish the word is also psoriasis.

Psoriasis in Spanish

Spanish term: Psoriasis
Gender and article: feminine: la psoriasis
Pronunciation: soh-RYAH-sees

Psoriasis is spelled the same in English and in Spanish. In Spanish it is feminine: la psoriasis, and MedlinePlus en español writes la psoriasis no es contagiosa. The matching adjective appears in artritis psoriásica, the Spanish for psoriatic arthritis. The alternative names listed in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article are psoriasis en placa, psoriasis vulgar, psoriasis guttata and psoriasis pustular.

The encyclopedia says there are five main types and names them eritrodérmica, guttata, inversa, placa and pustular. For the skin changes, MedlinePlus en español uses escamas plateadas (silvery scales), parches (patches) and placas (plaques), and cuero cabelludo for the scalp. Cell turnover is recambio celular, and light therapy is fototerapia. Where the English encyclopedia says something may "trigger an attack of psoriasis," the Spanish article says desencadenar un ataque de psoriasis.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have thick, red patches with silvery scales on my elbows and knees.	Tengo parches gruesos y rojos con escamas plateadas en los codos y las rodillas.
Clinician	How long have you had them? Do they come and go?	¿Desde cuándo los tiene? ¿Aparecen y desaparecen?
Patient	For about a year. They get worse when I am under a lot of stress.	Desde hace como un año. Empeoran cuando tengo mucho estrés.
Clinician	Does anyone in your family have psoriasis?	¿Alguien de su familia tiene psoriasis?
Patient	Is psoriasis contagious? I am worried about my children.	¿La psoriasis es contagiosa? Me preocupan mis hijos.
Clinician	No, psoriasis is not contagious. Do you also have joint pain, or changes in your nails?	No, la psoriasis no es contagiosa. ¿También tiene dolor en las articulaciones o cambios en las uñas?
Patient	My scalp itches a lot, and I have a lot of dandruff.	Me pica mucho el cuero cabelludo y tengo mucha caspa.
Clinician	I may need to take a small skin sample to look at it under a microscope.	Es posible que necesite tomarle una pequeña muestra de piel para examinarla con un microscopio.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Psoriasis
Spanish (Español)	Psoriasis
Chinese (中文)	乾癬
Korean (한국어)	건선
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Vảy nến
Filipino (Tagalog)	Psoriasis
Portuguese (Português)	Psoríase
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	โรคสะเก็ดเงิน
Japanese (日本語)	乾癬

Where you'll see it

chartreferralmedical recordEOB

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: L40 → Psoriasis

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: Skin, hair and nails

All terms in this area: Skin, hair and nails — Piel, cabello y uñas

Sources

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