Organization - Endocrinology and Nutrition Service

The care activity of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service is divided into five thematic areas in which the healthcare professionals of the Service participate exclusively or jointly, addressing the following diseases.

• Endocrinology.  The Service includes attention to nodular thyroid disease, also thyroid cancer, pituitary and adrenal disease and gender identity disorders.
• Obesity. The Service treats obesity, whether or not surgical treatment is required, in close collaboration with the Gastrointestinal Surgery and Clinical Psychology Services.
• Lipids/Cardiovascular Risk. The Service focuses on the treatment of severe dyslipidemia, monogenic familial hypercholesterolemia and the assessment, screening and risk stratification of early atherosclerosis.
•  Nutrition. The Service also provides parenteral, enteral and oral nutritional support for inpatients and outpatients, and nutritionally based treatment for congenital errors of metabolism (in collaboration with the Internal Medicine Service).

 The activity of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service is organized in two areas of transversal activity:

• Cardiovascular risk. Evaluation of preclinical cardiovascular disease in specific risk populations and evaluation and follow-up of patients with high vascular risk.
• Pregnancy in patients with endocrinopathies. The activity focuses on control of both pre-gestational and pregnant patients with Type 1 Diabetes (in collaboration with the Obstetrics Service). Care is also provided for patients with a history of bariatric surgery and endocrinological disease or specific nutritional disorders.

In coordination with the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona, active patient transfer programs are maintained: for pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes, for patients with childhood metabolopathies and familial hypercholesterolemia and other genetic dyslipidemias.

The activity of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service is, for the most part, extra-hospital.

At External Consultance more than 1,600 first visits and more than 11,300 follow-up visits are made each year. The figures for consultations in Primary Care Centers (RAE) are 1,866 and 4,366, respectively. 11,000 visits related to nursing and nutrition activities are carried out.

Between 45-60 admissions are made per year with an average stay of 3.7 days. At the Day Hospital, 10,600 visits were made, of which 3,416 were scheduled, preferential or urgent. More than 700 thyroid ultrasounds (with or without puncture) and carotids have been performed in this service. In addition, an average of 240 outpatient insulin injections are performed per year.

Within the specific programs, 160 surgeries are performed per year on obese patients and 460 patients use continuous subcutaneous insulin infusers.