16 Common Causes of Abdominal Pain explained in Spanish

This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how to talk about abdominal pain in Spanish: dolor abdominal o dolor de estómago.

Some time ago, we talked about how to talk about pain in Spanish, so in this lesson we are going to be more specific and talk about abdominal pain and the different words you can use when talking with your Spanish speaking patients.

Here is the Abdominal Pain in Spanish lesson I taught to the Facebook group:

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Anatomía básica / Basic Anatomy related to abdominal pain

First to all, we need to learn the names of those body parts in Spanish that could be involved with abdominal pain:

Spanish	English
El estómago	The stomach
El abdomen	The abdomen
Los riñones	The kidneys
El hígado	The liver
El intestino delgado	The small intestine
El intestino grueso	The large intestine
El apéndice	The appendix
El páncreas	The pancreas
La vesícula biliar	The gallbladder
El bazo	The spleen
El útero	The uterus
El aparato urinario	The urinary system
El revestimiento	The lining

Signos y síntomas básicos / Basic Signs and Symptoms of Abdominal Pain in Spanish.

Here is some useful vocabulary about common types of pain in Spanish, along with symptoms to be able to determine the nature of the pain and make a proper diagnosis in Spanish.

Dolor / Pain

Spanish	English
Leve	Light
Moderado	Moderate
Fuerte / Severo	Strong
Repentino	Sudden
Agudo	Sharp
Sordo	Dull
Después de comer	After eating
Con / Sin presión	With / Without pressure
Con movimientos específicos	With specific movements
Al orinar	With urination / Upon urinating

Note: The word “al” means “upon” in this context, so every time you hear “al” and then a verb, it means upon doing that verb.

Síntomas / Symptoms

Spanish	English
Náusea	Nausea
Vómito (con sangre)	Vomiting (with blood)
Diarrea (con sangre)	Diarrhea (with blood)
Estreñimiento	Constipation
Fiebre	Fever
Gas abdominal	Abdominal gas
Eructos	Belching
Cambios en la regla / menstruación Cólicos	Changes in the period Cramping
Abotagamiento: hinchado, inflado Ardor	Bloating: swollen, inflated Burning sensation

Causas comunes del dolor abdominal / Common Causes of Abdominal Pain in Spanish.

Here is a brief description of the cause and their common symptoms

1. Gastroenteritis (Gripe de estómago) / Stomach Flu

Spanish	English
Causado por bacteria o virus y se resuelve en unos días	Caused by bacteria or virus and it is resolved in a few days
Náusea, vómito, fiebre, cólicos, gas, estar hinchado	Nausea, vomiting, fever, cramping, gas, being bloated

2. Gas:

Spanish	English
Bacteria descompone comidas que el cuerpo no tolera – produce gas	Bacteria breaks down foods that the body does not tolerate and produces gas
Dolor agudo, eructos, flatulencia (pedos)	Acute pain, belching, flatulence (farts)

3. Síndrome del colon irritable / Irritable Bowel Syndrome:

Spanish	English
El cuerpo no puede digerir ciertas comidas	The body can not digest certain foods
Dolor que se mejora al mover los intestinos, gas, náusea, cólicos, estar hinchado	Pain that gets better after a bowel movement, gas, nausea, cramps, being bloated

4. Reflujo (acedía, ácidos) / Reflux:

Spanish	English
Ácidos estomacales suben del estómago hacia arriba en la garganta	Stomach acids go up from the stomach into the throat
Ardor y dolor, cólicos, estar hinchado	Burning and pain, cramps, being bloated

5. Vómitos / Vomiting:

Spanish	English
Dolor, ardor en el esófago	Pain, burning in the esophagus

6. Gastritis:

Spanish	English
Inflamación e hinchazón del revestimiento del estómago	Inflammation and swelling of the lining of the stomach
Dolor, náusea, vómito, diarrea, estar hinchado	Pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating

7. Intolerancia a comidas / Intolerance to Certain Foods:

Spanish	English
El cuerpo no puede digerir ciertas comidas y bacterias las descomponen	The body can not digest certain foods and bacteria break them down
Gas, presión, dolor, náusea,	Gas, pressure, pain, nausea

8. Estreñimiento / Constipation:

Spanish	English
Cuando el colon se atasca o se bloquea y el excremento no puede pasar	When the colon is blocked and the feces can not pass
Dolor, no poder mover los intestinos	Pain, not being able to move the bowels

Note: in Spanish, “estar constipado” also means to have a cold, so to avoid a misunderstanding, “tener estreñimiento” or “estar estreñido” are the best options in this case.

9. ERG (Enfermedad de reflujo gastroesofágico) / GERD:

Spanish	English
El esfínter entre el estómago y la garganta se afloja o abre y permite a los ácidos subir	The sphincter between the stomach and the throat gets loose or opens and allows the acids to rise
Dolor, acedía, náusea	Pain, heartburn, nausea

10. Úlceras pépticas y estomacales / Peptic and Stomach Ulcers:

Spanish	English
Lesiones normalmente causadas por una bacteria (H. pylori) o por AINE (antiinflamatorios no esteroides)	Lesions usually caused by bacteria (H. pylori) or NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
Dolor severo y persistente	Severe and persistent pain

11. Enfermedad de Chron / Crohn’s Disease:

Spanish	English
Inflamación del revestimiento de los intestinos	Inflammation of the intestinal linings
Dolor, gas, diarrea, náusea, vómito, estar hinchado, pérdida de peso, cansancio	Pain, gas, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, being bloated, weight loss, tiredness

12. Enfermedad celíaca / Celiac Disease:

Spanish	English
Una alergia al gluten (proteína en granos)	A gluten allergy (protein in grains)
Dolor, gas, diarrea, estar hinchado	Pain, gas, diarrhea, being bloated

13. Tirón o distensión muscular /  Muscle Strain:

Spanish	English
Una herida común al músculo – se estira demasiado	A wound injury to the muscle – it stretches too much
Dolor muscular	Muscular pain

14. Cólicos menstruales / Menstrual cramps:

Spanish	English
La regla inflama el abdomen	The period inflames the abdomen
Dolor, estar hinchada, cólicos, estreñimiento	Pain, bloating, colic, constipation

15. Endometriosis:

Spanish	English
Inflamación del endometrio	Inflammation of the endometrium
Inflamación crónica, dolor crónico	Chronic inflammation, chronic pain

16. Infección del aparato urinario (y/o de la vejiga) / Urinary tract infection (UTI):

Spanish	English
Infección causada por bacteria (normalmente E. coli)	Infection caused by bacteria (usually E. coli)
Dolor, presión, estar hinchado, dolor al orinar, orina oscura o turbia, olores fuertes	Pain, pressure, swelling, painful urination, dark or cloudy urine, strong odors

Causas menos comunes / Less Common Causes

Don’t worry! We will talk more about these causes in the next Video Viernes lesson 🙂 For now, let’s just name some of them:

Spanish	English
Apendicitis	Appendicitis
Infección de riñones	Kidney infection
Enfermedad renal	Renal disease
Cálculos renales	Kidney stones
Hepatitis	Hepatitis
Cálculos biliares	Gallstones
Intoxicación alimenticia	Food poisoning
Parásitos	Parasites
Cáncer de estómago, páncreas, intestinos	Cancer of stomach, pancreas, intestines
Hernia	Hernia
Quistes	Cysts
Torsión ovárica	Twisted ovary

La historia y el examen físico / The History and Physical Exam

We talked about how to take the medical history and useful phrases for the physical exam in Spanish in the past, but let’s do a quick review to these concepts and some useful questions you can ask to your Latino patients:

• ¿Cuándo comenzó el dolor?: When did the pain start?
• ¿Cuándo está peor? ¿Mejor?: When is it worst? When is it better?
• ¿Hay algo que lo mejora o empeora?: Is there something that makes it better or makes it worst?
• ¿Ha tenido este dolor antes?: Have you had this pain before?
• ¿Le duele cuando palpo / toco aquí?: Does it hurt when I touch here?
• Dígame si algo le duele: Tell me if something hurts
• ¿El dolor se asocia con…: Is the pain related to…
  • lo que come?: what you eat?
  • sus reglas?: your periods?
  • movimientos específicos?: any specific movements?
• Acuéstese boca arriba: Lie down on your back
• Voy a escucharle el abdomen: I’m going to listen to your abdomen
• Relaje el abdomen, por favor: Relax your abdomen, please

Remember you can find a full post about how to talk about pain in Spanish here 🙂

Exámenes y procedimientos / Tests & Procedures

Here you can find the most common tests and procedures to diagnose the abdominal pain in Spanish. Some of them contain links to other medical Spanish lessons with tons of vocabulary and useful information:

• Examen físico: A Physical Exam
• Pruebas / exámenes de sangre: Blood Tests
• Endoscopia: un tubo con cámara para ver la garganta y el estómago
• Ultrasonido: sonografía para ver los órganos, los vasos sanguíneos y otros tejidos
• PCM: Panel Comprensivo Metabólico (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel or CMP)
• Tomografía computada: A Computed Tomography (CT)
• Escán HIDA para ver la función de la vesícula
• Prueba de embarazo: A Pregnancy Test

Signos y síntomas de advertencia / Warning Signs and Symptoms

Es importante consultar con médico si tiene / It is important to visit your provider if you have:

Signos y síntomas urgentes / Urgent Signs and Symptoms:

Es importante ir al hospital si tiene / It is important to go to the hospital if you have:

Now is your turn! ¡Ahora te toca a ti!

Study these abdominal pain in Spanish vocabulary with the flashcards below:

Download the lesson notes and start creating your own sentences using the vocabulary you learn from the abdominal pain in Spanish lesson and share it on the comments below or in our Facebook group to receive feedback from other Medical Spanish learners.

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