The Allergy Service of the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment and comprehensive follow-up of allergic diseases, including respiratory pathology (asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis), cutaneous pathology (urticaria, atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis), food allergy, drug allergy, hymenoptera venom allergy and other hypersensitivity reactions, in both adult and paediatric populations.

The service provides cover for the population of the Barcelonès Nord and Maresme areas and, for certain high-complexity procedures, acts as a territorial referral centre. The service's organisation by areas of expertise allows for the provision of specialised and efficient care, typical of a tertiary care university hospital, especially for patients with complex or severe allergic conditions.

The mission of the Allergy Service is to provide high-quality, safe, and evidence-based clinical care, aimed at improving patients' health and quality of life. Its main objectives are to achieve an accurate diagnosis, individualise treatments, prevent serious reactions, and enhance patient health education.

The clinical activity includes the performance of specialised diagnostic tests, advanced pharmacological treatment and allergen immunotherapy. In this field, the service's Immunotherapy Unit has been accredited as a Unit of Excellence by the Spanish Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC), a fact that consolidates the Allergy Service of the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital as a centre of reference in the management of allergen immunotherapy.

The Service works in a coordinated manner with other hospital specialities and units, such as Pulmonology, Dermatology, Paediatrics, Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Pharmacy and A&E, to ensure multidisciplinary and integrated care. In parallel, it runs an accredited teaching programme, training one Allergy and Immunology specialist registrar (STR) per year, and participates in clinical research projects, mainly in the field of asthma and immunotherapy.

The combination of specialised care, collaborative working, teaching and research enables the Allergy Service to distinguish itself by providing modern, efficient care oriented towards clinical excellence.

Featured service news: 

• Hospital Award at the Congress of the Catalan Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

The Immunotherapy Unit of the Allergy Service is accredited as a Centre of Excellence by the SEAIC, recognising the high quality of care, the safety of the protocols and the team's expertise.

Subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy is performed for respiratory pathology, latex allergy and hymenoptera venom allergy, with close and personalised monitoring.

This accreditation positions the service as a centre of reference and guarantees the application of the best practices based on scientific evidence.

The Service participates in a Severe Asthma Unit accredited by the SEAIC as a centre of excellence and teaching unit, comprising Allergy, Pulmonology, Paediatrics, ENT and Immunology.

The unit offers a comprehensive assessment of patients with severe or poorly controlled asthma, including advanced diagnostics, therapeutic optimisation and specialised follow-up.

Biological treatments are indicated and administered according to clinical and phenotypic criteria, with structured monitoring of response and safety.

This multidisciplinary model improves clinical outcomes and positions Germans Trias as a highly specialised centre for complex asthma.

The Allergy Service performs food desensitisation, primarily for milk and egg, in the Paediatric Day Hospital, using structured protocols and in a highly secure environment.

This procedure is aimed at patients with difficult-to-manage food allergies and allows the risk of anaphylaxis to be reduced and significantly improves quality of life.

The Service is part of the Difficult-to-Manage Food Allergy Unit, together with Paediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, with specialised clinical and teaching activities.

The Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital has a Multidisciplinary Day Hospital (adults) and a Paediatric Day Hospital where controlled exposure tests and desensitisation to essential medicines are carried out.

This approach allows for the confirmation or exclusion of drug allergies, the provision of essential treatments and the offering of safe therapeutic alternatives in complex patients.

The Service actively participates in the Infusion Adverse Reactions (RAI) Committee, reinforcing patient safety and coordination with other hospital services.

The Service integrates molecular diagnostics as an advanced clinical tool in the study of complex allergic pathology, using platforms such as ALEX and ISAC.

These techniques allow the identification of relevant molecular components, the differentiation of clinical from cross-reactive sensitisations, and the improvement of therapeutic decision-making.

Its selective application contributes to a more precise indication for immunotherapy and to personalised care, in line with European standards for precision medicine.

The Allergy Service conducts a well-established clinical and translational research activity, aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases, with a particular focus on severe asthma, immunotherapy, food allergy and drug allergy.

The service regularly participates in Phase I, II, III and IV clinical trials, as well as observational studies and independent and industry-sponsored research projects, primarily in respiratory allergy, biological treatments and new immunotherapy strategies. This activity is carried out in the Hospital's Multipurpose Clinical Research Unit (UPIC), which has specialised infrastructure and staff, allowing for a high capacity for recruitment and leadership in various studies.

The research findings are regularly presented at national and international congresses and published in indexed scientific journals. This activity has facilitated the research careers of professionals from the service once they have completed their specialist training.

The Service participates in multidisciplinary referral units with a clear research focus:

• Severe Asthma Unit, accredited by the SEAIC as a centre of excellence and teaching unit, with active projects such as a doctoral thesis on poor prognostic factors in eosinophilic severe asthma and an extensive annual training programme.
• Multidisciplinary Chronic Urticaria Unit, integrated into the Catalan and Balearic Urticaria Network.
• Atopic Dermatitis Unit, which has contributed to the implementation of biological therapies.
• Toxicoderma Unit, with specific clinical and research pathways.

The Service collaborates on competitive projects at regional and national levels, such as the project on food histamine intolerance (2020 R&D&I Call) and a grant from the Health Research Fund on beta-lactam allergy, in collaboration with the Faculty of Pharmacy and Vall d'Hebron Hospital.

Finally, the Service has been recognised with several Germans Trias Talents grants, which have enabled the consolidation of oral tolerance induction in paediatric food allergy and a deeper study of eosinophilic asthma.

The Allergy Service at Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol offers teaching focused on training residents in the specialty and on continuing professional development for healthcare professionals.

Postgraded teaching

The Section is accredited to train one resident per year in Clinical Allergy and Immunology, with a comprehensive four-year programme in accordance with the official programme published in the BOE (Order SCO/3081/2006, 20 September).

Residents actively participate in clinical practice, laboratory activities, training sessions and research projects, with full integration into the Service's clinical and scientific duties. Training is tailored to each resident's initiative and vocation, offering options ranging from a more clinical focus to a more research-oriented one.

Information for residents

• Number of places: 1 accredited resident per year.
• See the Teaching guide.
• Further information:

► Access to complex pathology in a tertiary hospital with state-of-the-art services.

► Opportunity to participate in innovative treatments such as monoclonal antibodies, drug desensitisation protocols and the management of severe asthma and food allergy.

► Opportunity to present papers at national and European congresses, with awards won in various fields.

► Support for fourth-year residents to undertake placements and research abroad.

► Continuous updating through weekly monographic, bibliographic and clinical sessions.

• Find out what our residents think about the Allergology service of the Germans Trias. 

Continuous training

The Service organises annual monographic sessions and continuing education activities accredited by the Catalan Council for Continuing Education in Health Professions, attended by professionals from the region and from external centres. The sessions cover areas such as rhinitis, asthma, food allergy, immunotherapy and drug allergy, with a practical, evidence-based approach.