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.
This syndrome is one of the most frequently treated gastrointestinal disorders in gastroenterology. It is characterized by chronic abdominal pain accompanied by changes in bowel movements in the form of diarrhoea or constipation. It is common in young women and can have a significant impact on the patient’s personal life, health, and economic and social welfare.
Scientific evidence from recent years suggests there are many different factors involved in developing this disease:
It is currently considered to be a disorder caused by an imbalance in the gut-brain-microbe axis This imbalance negatively affects the functioning of the intestinal barrier and activates the digestive system’s immune and nervous system. This creates visceral hypersensitivity and motor disturbances.
The most common symptoms are:
It is classified according to consistency:
It affects 7.8% of the population in Spain and twice the number of women compared to men: 1. IBS is the reason for 10-15 % of primary care appointments and 25-30 % of gastroenterology consultations. Over 50 % of patients are affected by other pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, headache or pelvic pain, and also by other gastrointestinal disorders such as dyspepsia or by anxiety disorders and depression.
IBS is diagnosed by fulfilling a set of clinical criteria based on symptoms and on the exclusion of other organic causes that may act in a similar way.
Diagnostic criteria known as the Rome IV criteria have been established by medical consensus by committees of experts. The following are required for diagnosis:
When determining treatment, it is important patients understand the chronic and fluctuating nature of the disease. To draw up an appropriate treatment plan, the doctor must identify the dietary and psychic-social causes of the illness.
Specific treatments are beginning to be introduced for IBS, such as linaclotide, eluxadoline and lubiprostone, but not all are available in Spain. There are also many treatments designed to control symptoms, such as anti-spasmodic drugs, laxatives and anti-diarrhoeals.
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.