Sickle Cell Disease in Spanish

What it means

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. In SCD there is a problem with hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body: the hemoglobin forms into stiff rods within the red blood cells and changes their shape. The cells are supposed to be disc-shaped, but instead they are crescent, or sickle, shaped. Many of them burst apart as they move through the blood vessels, so a person may not have enough red blood cells, a condition called anemia. The sickle-shaped cells can stick to vessel walls and cause a blockage, and the lack of oxygen can cause attacks of sudden, severe pain, called pain crises. People with SCD are born with two sickle cell genes, one from each parent.

Spanish term: Enfermedad de células falciformes
Gender and article: feminine: la enfermedad de células falciformes
Pronunciation: en-fehr-meh-DAHD deh SEH-loo-lahs fahl-see-FOR-mehs

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
anemia de células falciformes	General	Other name given at the end of the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary entry for enfermedad de células falciformes.
drepanocitosis	General	Other name given in the same National Cancer Institute entry; the Spanish dictionary has an entry for it as a medical term.
anemia falciforme	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español among the other names on its Enfermedad de células falciformes page.

Enfermedad de células falciformes is feminine: la enfermedad de células falciformes. It is the title of the MedlinePlus en español page and the headword in the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary. That dictionary adds that the disease is also called anemia de células falciformes, drepanocitemia and drepanocitosis, and the Spanish dictionary has an entry for drepanocitosis as a medical term. In English, the National Cancer Institute likewise says the disease is also called sickle cell anemia.

MedlinePlus en español describes the cells as having the shape de medialuna o de hoz (crescent or sickle) and calls them células falciformes. Sickle cell trait, having one sickle cell gene, is rasgo de células falciformes; the same page also writes rasgo drepanocítico. A pain crisis is una crisis de dolor, red blood cells are glóbulos rojos, and hemoglobina and anemia are close to their English forms.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I have sickle cell disease, and I am having a pain crisis.	Tengo enfermedad de células falciformes y estoy teniendo una crisis de dolor.
Clinician	Where is the pain, and when did it start?	¿Dónde tiene el dolor y cuándo empezó?
Patient	It started this morning, in my back and my legs.	Empezó esta mañana, en la espalda y las piernas.
Clinician	Have you had to go to the hospital for a pain crisis before?	¿Ha tenido que ir al hospital antes por una crisis de dolor?
Clinician	Do you have sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait?	¿Tiene enfermedad de células falciformes o rasgo de células falciformes?
Patient	I have the trait, and so does my partner. Can our baby be tested?	Tengo el rasgo, y mi pareja también. ¿Le pueden hacer la prueba a nuestro bebé?
Clinician	A blood test can show if you have the disease or the trait.	Un examen de sangre puede mostrar si tiene la enfermedad o el rasgo.
Patient	I feel very tired. Could it be from the anemia?	Siento mucho cansancio. ¿Puede ser por la anemia?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Sickle Cell Disease
Spanish (Español)	Enfermedad de células falciformes
Chinese (中文)	鐮刀型紅血球疾病
Korean (한국어)	겸상적혈구병
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Bệnh hồng cầu hình liềm
Filipino (Tagalog)	Sickle Cell Disease
Portuguese (Português)	Doença falciforme
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	โรคเม็ดเลือดแดงรูปเคียว
Japanese (日本語)	鎌状赤血球症

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordreferralprescription

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: D57 → Sickle-cell disorders

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: Blood and immune system

All terms in this area: Blood and immune system — Sangre y sistema inmunitario

Sources

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