Shortness of Breath in Spanish

What it means

Shortness of breath means it is hard or uncomfortable to take in the oxygen the body needs; a person may feel as if they are not getting enough air. Breathing difficulty is a subjective feeling: only the person feeling it can decide if it is present. Mild breathing problems can come from a stuffy nose or intense exercise, but shortness of breath can also be a sign of a serious disease. Many conditions can cause it, including lung conditions such as asthma, emphysema, or pneumonia, heart disease, anxiety and panic attacks, and allergies. MedlinePlus lists breathlessness and dyspnea among its alternative names. Breathing difficulty that comes on suddenly or seriously interferes with breathing and even talking is an emergency: go to the emergency room or call 911 in the U.S.

Spanish term: Dificultad para respirar
Gender and article: feminine: la dificultad para respirar
Pronunciation: dee-fee-kool-TAHD PAH-rah rehs-pee-RAHR

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
falta de aire	General	The wording the MedlinePlus en español health topic page uses for shortness of breath.
falta de aliento	General	Listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article.
disnea	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español under other names; the RAE dictionary gives it the label Med. and defines it as difficulty breathing.
dificultad respiratoria	General	The title of the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia article on this symptom.

Dificultad para respirar is how the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia opens its article on this symptom, with the feminine article: la dificultad para respirar. The same article is titled dificultad respiratoria, and its alternative names include falta de aliento, falta de respiración and disnea. The health topic page writes falta de aire and lists disnea and problemas para respirar under other names. Disnea carries a medical label in the Real Academia Española dictionary, which records it as a feminine noun and defines it as dificultad de respirar.

The same dictionary entry lists apnea, fatiga, asfixia, ahogo, ahoguío, asma and jadeo under the heading "synonyms or related words" of disnea. The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia uses the adjective disneicas for people who feel breathless with mild exercise, and falta de aliento for being short of breath after slight activity or at rest. It describes sibilancias as a form of breathing difficulty in which a person makes a shrill sound when breathing out.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I get short of breath when I climb one flight of stairs.	Me falta el aire cuando subo un tramo de escaleras.
Clinician	How long have you had difficulty breathing, and when did it start?	¿Cuánto tiempo lleva con dificultad para respirar y cuándo empezó?
Patient	It started about two weeks ago and it is getting worse.	Empezó hace unas dos semanas y está empeorando.
Clinician	Do you get short of breath at rest or only with activity?	¿Le falta el aire en reposo o solo con la actividad?
Patient	At night I have to sleep propped up on pillows to breathe.	Por la noche tengo que dormir con el cuerpo levantado sobre almohadas para respirar.
Clinician	Do you have chest pain or pressure, or a fever?	¿Tiene dolor o presión en el pecho, o fiebre?
Clinician	I am going to measure the oxygen in your blood and order a chest x-ray.	Voy a medirle el oxígeno en la sangre y a pedirle una radiografía del tórax.
Clinician	If the difficulty breathing comes on suddenly or you cannot talk, call 911.	Si la dificultad para respirar aparece de repente o no puede hablar, llame al 911.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Shortness of Breath
Spanish (Español)	Dificultad para respirar
Chinese (中文)	呼吸困難
Korean (한국어)	호흡 곤란
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Khó thở
Filipino (Tagalog)	Hirap sa paghinga
Portuguese (Português)	Falta de ar
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	หายใจลำบาก
Japanese (日本語)	息切れ

Where you'll see it

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Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: R06 → Abnormalities of breathing

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: Lungs and breathing

All terms in this area: Lungs and breathing — Pulmones y respiración

Sources

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