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.
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.
Chagas disease is an infection caused by the “Trypanosoma cruzi” parasite which is transmitted through the bites of an insect (the “kissing bug”). The disease can also be spread from mother to child (vertical transmission), through blood transfusion, organ donation from people infected with the disease or from eating food contaminated with the parasite.
For the moment, the number of new cases has been reduced thanks to policies to eliminate the insect in countries where it is endemic, as well as thanks to screening programmes aimed at blood and organ donors and pregnant women. The future challenges to cure this disease are maintaining and increasing these measures in addition to developing new treatment evolution and response markers for patients in the chronic phase, and new drugs to treat the disease.
Chagas disease is endemic to Latin America and is a global health challenge due to migration from countries in the region. Transmission via insect is mainly found in Bolivia, which has the highest number of cases. There are also infections in north-west Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, Nicaragua and southern Mexico. Outside these areas it is more commonly transmitted from mother to child.
Most patients with Chagas disease do not show any symptoms, which makes it difficult to detect. The disease develops in two phases:
This disease affects six to seven million people, but 60 million are estimated to be at risk of infection. There are 11,000 cases in Catalonia.
There are currently two drugs that are used to treat Chagas disease: Benznidazole and Nifurtimox. Specific treatment is needed to address any cardiac and/or gastrointestinal complications that may arise.
Since 2011, Catalonia has implemented the “Protocol for screening and diagnosing Chagas disease in pregnant Latin American women and their babies”. This programme allows possible congenital cases to be detected, and at the same time actively screens blood and organ donations from donors.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which gluten intake damages the small intestine, impairing nutrient absorption. It can appear at any age and causes digestive and non-digestive symptoms. Diagnosis is made through serological tests and biopsy, and the only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet.
An autoimmune disorder, coeliac disease is the genetically predisposed reaction to ingesting gluten; a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, and triticale.
For coeliacs, ingesting gluten damages the villi in the small intestine, affecting their capacity to absorb nutrients from food (proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals).
People of any age may have the condition, and although people from any part of the world may be affected, it appears to be most common among white people whose ancestors were from Northern Europe. The most recent studies show the disease affects around 1 person in 100, and it is currently considered the most common chronic intestinal disorder in the western world.
Although some coeliacs may not show any symptoms, the most common are:
It is not fully understood why someone may develop coeliac disease, but several genetic factors are known to make people predisposed to the condition. However, it appears that having a genetic predisposition does not necessarily lead to the disease and that certain environmental factors are required. Despite its genetic origin, we cannot say that it is an inherited disease, although if we look at the general population, the likelihood of someone having the condition is increased if a family member also has it. If there is a family history then the likelihood of having it is 10 %.
First-degree relatives of coeliacs and people with related illnesses such as type 1 diabetes or autoimmune diseases are at greater risk.
Coeliac disease may occur at any age and is more prevalent in women than in men. In Catalonia 1 in every 204 citizens has the condition and it is more common in children than in adults.
The diagnostic process is based on clinical suspicion or recognising some of the risk factors. Serological markers such as anti-transglutaminase antibodies or deamidated gliadin peptide antibodies are used. If they are positive, an endoscopic intestinal biopsy should be performed to confirm diagnosis.
Genetic testing for HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 can also be carried out to identify people at risk of developing the disease.
Treatment for coeliac disease currently consists of completely and permanently eliminating gluten from the patient’s diet.
Coeliacs cannot eat any foods that contain wheat, oats, barley, or rye. In most cases, complete and lasting recovery from the intestinal damage is achieved, provided the patient does not go back to eating foods containing gluten. Avoiding gluten is only recommended for people with coeliac disease or non-coeliac gluten intolerance and is not necessary, nor recommended, for the general population.
Digestive System, General Hospital
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.