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.
Rheumatology, Traumatology, Rehabilitation and Burns Hospital
Hereditary angioedema is a rare genetic disease that affects approximately one in 50,000 people. It is usually an inherited disorder and is characterised by the accumulation of fluids outside the blood vessels, causing swelling of the face, hands, feet, extremities, genitals, gastrointestinal tract or the upper respiratory tract. Because it is a low-prevalence disease with symptoms similar to those of other diseases and is therefore difficult to diagnose, it is important for there to be reference centres so that suspected and diagnosed cases can be centralised.
The inflammation that hereditary angioedema causes does not present associated itching and may last for 1 to 5 days. These symptoms are developed as a result of the malfunction of certain proteins that help maintain the normal flow of fluids through the blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries).
The seriousness of the disease shows a significant degree of variance. Angioedema episodes may be extremely incapacitating and have a serious effect on the patent’s quality of life. When it occurs in the region of the mouth or neck, the sufferer may die of asphyxia if they are not given preventive treatment.
In most cases symptoms start to manifest in childhood and/or puberty and continue throughout adult life.
There are different types of hereditary angioedema and they are classified according to whether or not they present a deficiency of the C1 component of the complement (C1-INH).
Swelling of the subcutaneous tissue in any part of the body, although it is most commonly found in:
Depending on the affected area, the symptoms may range from local discomfort to invalidity of the affected extremity, discomfort or pain when swallowing, voice changes, loss of voice, or dyspnoea (shortness of breath).
At one time of their life up to 50% of patients may present an episode that affects the throat, which if not immediately treated could lead to asphyxia.
Hereditary angioedema affects people who exhibit a mutation in certain genes, such as SERPING1, F12, PLG, KNG1 and ANGPT1. As it is a dominant autosomal disease, an affected patient has a 50% chance of passing it on to their children. Given that it is a genetic disorder, it is common to find that more than one member of the family is affected.
Depending on the type of mutation, it may affect men and women equally (types I and II) or women more frequently (HAE-nC1-INH). Cases of hereditary angioedema without C1-INH deficiency are usually associated with hyperoestrogenic states, such as pregnancy or the consumption of contraceptives that contain oestrogens.
The Allergology Clinic first assesses patients who present with recurring angioedema episodes and cases in which there are family members who also suffer them. Subsequently, a blood analysis is requested to determine the levels of the components of the complement, including the inhibitor of component C1 (C1-INH) and, finally, the diagnosis is completed with a genetic study.
Treatment depends on the number of attacks, the severity of the symptoms and the degree to which quality of life is affected. Treatment is always on a case-by-case basis and may be acute, which means the subcutaneous of intravenous administration of medication at the time of the angioedema attack, or preventive, to stop attacks occurring so frequently. The latter treatment is usually recommended for the patients who suffer the most episodes.
Angioedema treatments can be self-administered by the patients.
In the case of surgery, endoscopies, tooth extractions or certain dental procedures, treatment must be given in advance to prevent an attack.
Blood analysis normally forms part of the diagnostic procedure. Depending on the treatment, during monitoring it may be necessary to perform an abdominal ultrasound and draw blood for analysis.
Factors known to possibly trigger attacks should be avoided as far as possible:
At the Internal Medicine Department, we offer comprehensive internal medicine care to adult patients in our region, both at the Hospital and in Primary Care. We are a leading point of reference in both Catalonia and Spain in systemic autoimmune diseases. In addition, the Ageing and Chronic Patient Section covers Geriatrics and coordinates and collaborates with social-healthcare provision throughout the region.
The Internal Medicine Department is the cornerstone of medical care at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. It is key in providing support to the other medical and surgical departments and the Accident and Emergency Department.
The Allergology Department treats patients with allergies, a very common pathology that now affects approximately one in four people.
At the Allergology Department, our mission is to provide care for people with allergy-related diseases and to improve their quality of life, in accordance with their needs and wishes. The key to achieving this is comprehensive care. We work hard to provide faster, reliable diagnoses and offer personalised treatments.
The Allergology Teaching Unit is led by allergy and immunology professionals from the Internal Medicine Department (General Hospital), and from Paediatric Allergies from the Respiratory Medicine, Cystic Fibrosis and Allergy Department (Maternity and Children's Hospital). The Unit’s healthcare activities are divided into outpatient clinics, the day hospital and medical interconsultations. We were the first to use molecular diagnostics for complex allergic conditions in Catalonia and we are the leading centre for rare disorders such as hereditary angioedema and systemic mastocytosis.
Allergology training itinerary
The Allergology Unit has been training residents since 1982, and is where most heads of allergology divisions in Catalonia did their training.
We attend to outpatients regarding allergic respiratory disease, paying special attention to asthma, complex food allergies, hymenoptera allergies, chronic urticaria, atopic dermatitis, and drug allergies.
The Day Hospital carries out controlled drug exposure tests and chemotherapy and other drug desensitization therapies. The paediatric unit carries out food desensitization therapies. We also deal with hospital consultations on a daily basis.
The unit carries out clinical research in the fields of anaphylaxis, hereditary angioedema, food allergies and chronic urticaria. In terms of experimental research , we offer the opportunity to carry out specific immunoglobulin E and G tests by biochip, and basophil activation tests. Five doctoral theses have been supervised by the Unit and all its staff physicians are qualified Doctors of Medicine.
Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?
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.