Endocrinology and Nutrition

In our Department, we treat diseases such as diabetes, morbid or grave obesity and disorders derived from the thyroid gland and the pituitary gland.

We have a Day Hospital where we attend to patients with chronic illnesses that until now required hospital admission, but for which patients can now be treated as outpatients. This is the case, for example, of diabetic patients with acute decompensations. We also have a unit specialising in Diabetic Foot.

The Day Hospital offers primary care, improving coordination between the hospital and primary care centres. Every month, we attend to about 300 patients, most of whom are diabetic patients with uncomplicated acute illnesses. We carry out about 20 tests every month, and we also carry out telephone monitoring of patients when we have to monitor certain types of treatments.

The Day Hospital also performs functional tests to determine the patient's condition. One example is the implantation of insulin perfusion pumps, a device the size of a mobile phone that administers insulin 24 hours a day through a cannula that is implanted under the skin of the patient with type 1 diabetes. We also use devices to constantly monitor glucose levels. The devices are minimally invasive and designed to measure glucose levels and provide information on any fluctuations.

At the Endocrinology and Nutrition Department and the Nutrition Support Unit, we regularly organise information courses aimed at diabetics and their families, with the aim of improving their quality of life. These courses cover how to control diabetes, avoid decompensations and prevent chronic complications.

 

Diabetic Foot Unit

At the Diabetic Foot Unit, we treat the range of syndromes that affect the feet of patients with diabetes. The possible complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, which affects 6.5% of the population between 30 and 65 years old, according to data from the Department of Health, include neuropathy, where the nerves of the feet are affected, ischemia, which causes a progressive decrease in blood flow to the foot, and infection. These complications cause tissue damage to the skin, or foot ulcers, causing significant morbidity and sometimes leading to amputation.

We have a multidisciplinary team that was set up to ensure early detection of any complications due to the disease and thus avoid the need for amputations. This involves the following departments: Traumatology and Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Infectious Diseases, and Angiology and Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.