I'm not Hispanic, but I have a question for improving cultural knowledge & sensitivity. [View all]

I'm a Physician Assistant serving a largely Hispanic community. I speak some basic Spanish, and am happy to say it is getting better all the time.

I have a question regarding my Spanish-speaking patients.

Nearly every day, I'll have an Hispanic patient on my schedule with the complaint "dizziness".

Then when I get them in the exam room and start taking the History of Present Illness, the symptoms they describe sound nothing like dizziness. (Some symptoms they describe will include things like heart palpitations, acid reflux, nausea, numbness; you get the idea. Anything but actual dizziness.)

Even my Spanish interpreters who speak English as a first language, but speak Spanish at home can't seem to tell me why this is so. One of my interpreters said she heard that Hispanic patients are often told by family members and friends to say 'dizziness' when complaining of an acute condition, but she was unable to explain why.

I'd like to be better at addressing my patients' needs. Does anyone know why 'dizziness'' is a thing among Hispanic patients?