White Blood Cells in Spanish

What do white blood cells do?

White blood cells are part of the body's immune system. MedlinePlus explains that when you get sick, the body makes more white blood cells to fight the bacteria, viruses, or other foreign substances causing the illness. The types have different targets: neutrophils mostly target bacterial infections, and lymphocytes mostly target viral infections. A separate test, called a blood differential, measures the amount of each type of white blood cell.

High and low white blood cell counts

Two words come up when a count is reported as high or low. A high white blood count is also called leukocytosis, and a low white blood count is also called leukopenia. Certain medicines, including chemotherapy, may lower the number of white blood cells. A white blood count can show whether the number is too high or too low, but it can't confirm a diagnosis, and a language reference cannot interpret a result for a particular person.

What it means

White blood cells, also called leukocytes, are part of the immune system. They are a type of blood cell made in the bone marrow and found in the blood and lymph tissue. If you are injured or get sick, white blood cells travel through the bloodstream and tissues to where they are needed, and there they help the body fight off infections and other diseases. There are five major types: neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils. A blood test called a white blood count measures the total number of these cells, and MedlinePlus abbreviates the cells as WBCs. In Spanish they are called glóbulos blancos.

Spanish term: Glóbulos blancos
Gender and article: masculine plural: los glóbulos blancos (singular: el glóbulo blanco)
Pronunciation: GLOH-boo-lohs BLAHN-kohs

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
leucocitos	General	Technical synonym; MedlinePlus en español says white blood cells are also called leucocitos, and the Spanish dictionary marks leucocito as a masculine biology term.
GB	General	Abbreviation the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia uses for glóbulos blancos in its article on the count.
WBC	General	The English abbreviation; MedlinePlus en español lists it unchanged among the alternative names of the test.

Glóbulos blancos is the name MedlinePlus en español uses. The Spanish dictionary lists glóbulo blanco under glóbulo as a masculine noun and defines it as "célula globosa e incolora de la sangre." The adjective follows the noun and agrees with it: el glóbulo blanco, los glóbulos blancos. Leucocitos is the technical synonym, also masculine, so the English and Spanish pairs line up: white blood cells and glóbulos blancos, leukocytes and leucocitos.

For the blood test, MedlinePlus en español says conteo de glóbulos blancos and lists recuento de glóbulos blancos and conteo de leucocitos as alternative names. A high count is leucocitosis and a low count is leucopenia. The test that measures each type of white blood cell is called fórmula leucocitaria. The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia shortens the term to GB, and the English abbreviation WBC also appears among the Spanish alternative names.

Phrases for an appointment

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

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Your blood test shows that your white blood cell count is a little high.	Su análisis de sangre muestra que el conteo de glóbulos blancos está un poco alto.
Patient	What does that mean? Do I have an infection?	¿Qué significa eso? ¿Tengo una infección?
Clinician	Have you had a fever, chills, or a cough that won't go away?	¿Ha tenido fiebre, escalofríos o una tos que no se le quita?
Patient	I have had a fever and body aches for three days.	Llevo tres días con fiebre y dolores en el cuerpo.
Clinician	This test alone cannot confirm a diagnosis, so I am going to order another test that counts each type of white blood cell.	Esta prueba por sí sola no puede confirmar un diagnóstico, así que voy a pedirle otra prueba que cuenta cada tipo de glóbulo blanco.
Patient	I am getting chemotherapy. Can that lower my white blood cells?	Estoy recibiendo quimioterapia. ¿Eso puede bajarme los glóbulos blancos?
Clinician	Please tell me about all the medicines you take, including the ones you buy without a prescription.	Por favor, dígame todos los medicamentos que toma, incluso los que compra sin receta.
Patient	Could you show me where it says leukocytes on the lab report?	¿Me puede mostrar dónde dice leucocitos en el informe de laboratorio?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	White Blood Cells
Spanish (Español)	Glóbulos blancos
Chinese (中文)	白血球
Korean (한국어)	백혈구
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Bạch cầu
Filipino (Tagalog)	Puting selula ng dugo
Portuguese (Português)	Leucócitos
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	เม็ดเลือดขาว
Japanese (日本語)	白血球

Where you'll see it

lab reportchartdischarge summarymedical record

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.