We are the combination of four hospitals: the General Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, the Women’s Hospital and the Traumatology, Rehabilitation and Burns Hospital. We are part of the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus: a world-leading health park where healthcare plays a crucial role.
Below we will list the departments and units that form part of Vall d’Hebron Hospital and the main diseases that we treat. We will also make recommendations based on advice backed up by scientific evidence that has been shown to be effective in guaranteeing well-being and quality of life.
Would you like to know what your stay at Vall d'Hebron will be like? Here you will find all the information.
The commitment of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital to innovation allows us to be at the forefront of medicine, providing first class care adapted to the changing needs of each patient.
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) is characterised by cognitive, behavioural and physical problems caused by exposure to alcohol during pregnancy.
FASD may result in physical symptoms (such as facial abnormalities), growth retardation, damage to the nervous system and cognitive and/or behavioural problems. 90% of people with FASD suffer from psychological disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) being the most common.
The main symptoms of FASD are poor memory and attention span, learning difficulties, problems with recognising cause and effect and lack of social skills and emotional self-regulation. These issues may lead to secondary complications such as poor academic performance, legal issues, inappropriate sexual behaviour, substance abuse and problems finding employment as an adult.
Babies exposed to alcohol in the womb.
FASD diagnosis requires not just physical examination but also neurocognitive and behavioural assessment.
Treatment for FASD is multidisciplinary and often requires a combination of psychology and pharmacology. The psychological approaches shown to be most effective are based on training in social skills, emotional self-regulation and guidelines for parents on how to manage the conflicts involved in having a child with FASD. Appropriate interventions for FASD also involve relevant adjustments to the child’s education.
Psychological monitoring should include both the patient and their parents or guardians. The psychological treatments available include: group treatment (for teenagers and parents), one-to-one psychological treatment and assisted therapy with dogs.
Interventions are based on the age of the child/teenager and their cognitive difficulties. Before any psychological intervention, a neuropsychological assessment must be performed to indicate which cognitive functions the patient has most difficulty with. Treatment can then be adapted to their abilities and carers can manage their expectations and adapt the child/teenager’s environment according to their behaviour.
Clinical history. Psychological interview. Neuropsychological examination. Physical examination and in some cases MRI and EEG tests.
The best way to prevent FASD is to avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Patients with this syndrome have the best prognosis when diagnosed early (before 6 years old) and within a stable family environment.
Your GP or paediatrician can refer you to the Psychiatry Department.
Nuria Gómez-Barros
Raquel Vidal Estrada
Ana Maria Cueto González
By accepting these conditions, you are agreeing to the processing of your personal data for the provision of the services requested through this portal, and, if necessary, for any procedures required by the administrations or public bodies involved in this processing, and their subsequent inclusion in the aforementioned automated file. You may exercise your rights to access, rectification, cancellation or opposition by writing to web@vallhebron.cat, clearly stating the subject as "Exercising of Data Protection Rights". Operated by: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron - Institut Català de la Salut. Purpose: Manage the user’s contact information. Legitimisation: Express acceptance of the privacy policy. Rights: To access, rectify, and delete personal information data, as well to the portability thereof and to limit and/or oppose their use. Source: The interested party themselves.