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.
Patients are the centre and the core of our system. We are professionals committed to quality care and our organizational structure breaks down the traditional boundaries between departments and professional groups, with an exclusive model of knowledge areas.
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.
SLE is a systemic autoimmune disease. Under normal conditions, the immune system produces proteins (antibodies) to protect us from bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances (what we call antigens). In autoimmune diseases like SLE, the immune system gets "confused" and cannot distinguish between foreign particles and our own cells, so it produces antibodies against our own body, which causes inflammation and damage to different organs.
It being a systemic disease means that it can affect most parts/organs of our body: skin, joints, kidney, lungs, etc. It is a chronic disease that has flares or flare-ups, meaning that it goes through periods where it is more active (flare-ups) and periods of inactivity.
Antiphospholipid syndrome is characterized by the appearance of thrombosis (blood clots) in any area of the body, complications during pregnancy (especially recurring miscarriages and premature births), and the presence of antibodies against phospholipids. Half of the cases of APS are associated with SLE.
SLE can affect almost every organ in the body. The most frequent symptoms are:
The most characteristic clinical manifestations of APS are thrombosis (blood clots) and serial miscarriages.
This thrombosis can trigger deep vein thrombosis in the legs, strokes or brain bleeding, myocardial infarctions, pulmonary thrombosis, ocular thrombosis, etc.
Among the complications that APS may cause during pregnancy, the most common are repeated miscarriages (mostly before week 10 of gestation), although it can also give rise to premature births (before week 34 of gestation).
Apart from the thrombosis and obstetric complications, patients with APS may also present with anaemia, kidney problems, convulsions, arrhythmia, and different kinds of skin lesions.
SLE is a disease that predominantly affects women; one man is diagnosed with this illness for every nine women. It can appear at any age, although most cases manifest between 17 and 35 years of age.
What exactly triggers the disease is unknown. It is believed that an infectious agent may initiate the disease, but at the same time, the individual must present genetic and hormonal factors for this to occur.
APS also affects women (60-80%) more than it affects men. It is unknown exactly why there are individuals who test positive for antiphospholipid antibodies but have never had thrombosis or a miscarriage, while others who are positive do have these issues.
The diagnosis for SLE is clinical and is based on three main aspects: the symptoms the patient reports, the alterations observed on the physical examination, and the results of the blood and urine analysis. There is no single test to diagnose SLE.
There are some abnormalities on a blood test that can make us suspect that a patient may have SLE. It is common for these patients to have a low number of leukocytes, lymphocytes, and/or platelets. We can also detect the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs). Almost 100% of patients with SLE are positive for these, but this does not constitute a diagnosis of the disease, since healthy people or those with other illnesses can test positive.
Diagnosing APS is based on the combination of clinical characteristics mentioned previously (presence of thrombosis or obstetric problems like miscarriages or premature births) and the presence of one or more of the antibodies typically associated with the disease (lupus anticoagulant, cardiolipin antibodies, and anti-beta 2-glycoprotein antibodies).
There is no single cure for SLE, since treatment will vary for each patient based on the clinical manifestations they present. It is usually a long-term, chronic treatment. Generally speaking, anti-inflammatory agents and corticosteroids are prescribed to treat flares and immunosuppressants (hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate, etc.) are used, based on the areas/organs affected, to treat and prevent new flare-ups. Currently, we only have one biological pharmaceutical approved for SLE, belimumab, although numerous studies are underway that aim to find new, effective drugs to treat this disease.
Treatment for APS mainly includes the administration of an anti-clotting treatment (aspirin) or anticoagulant, based on the clinical manifestations and antibody profile of the patient.
The most common diagnostic test used for suspected SLE and APS is the blood analysis, which includes testing for auto-antibodies.
Other studies and tests can also be used, based on the patient's symptoms: urinalysis to evaluate whether the kidney is affected, chest X-rays and echocardiogram when the heart or lungs are involved, renal biopsy if kidney problems are detected, skin biopsy, head CT or MRI if neurological symptoms appear, etc.
There is no specific measure we can take to prevent the appearance of SLE and APS.
Once manifested, an early diagnosis is essential for both illnesses in order to begin treatment quickly and thus avoid possible complications. Patients must regularly see and work in close collaboration with their specialists.
In addition, for both SLE and APS, it's very important to strictly control the classic cardiovascular risk factors (high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, obesity, and tobacco use), because they can very negatively affect the prognosis of both diseases.
Lupus-Eritematoso
American College of Rheumatology: Lupus
American College of Rheumatology: Síndrome Antifosfolípido
American College of Rheumatology: Tratamientos
The acceptance of these terms implies that you give your consent to the processing of your personal data for the provision of the services you request through this portal and, if applicable, to carry out the necessary procedures with the administrations or public entities involved in the processing. You may exercise the mentioned rights by writing to web@vallhebron.cat, clearly indicating in the subject line “Exercise of LOPD rights”. Responsible entity: Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (Catalan Institute of Health). Purpose: Subscription to the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus newsletter, where you will receive news, activities, and relevant information. Legal basis: Consent of the data subject. Data sharing: If applicable, with VHIR. No other data transfers are foreseen. No international transfer of personal data is foreseen. Rights: Access, rectification, deletion, and data portability, as well as restriction and objection to its processing. The user may revoke their consent at any time. Source: The data subject. Additional information: Additional information can be found at https://hospital.vallhebron.com/es/politica-de-proteccion-de-datos.