Hospital de Bellvitge, Spanish reference center for Erdheim-Chester disease

It is a type of blood cancer that affects only 1,500 people in the world, although doctors warn that it may be underdiagnosed

The Global Alliance on Erdheim-Chester Disease (ECDGA) has designated the Hospital de Bellvitge as the first Spanish “reference center”. in this pathology, the center reported in a statement on Thursday.

Erdheim-Chester is a minority disease affecting 1,500 people worldwide, although Bellvitge has warned that it is possible that is underdiagnosed.

It is a type of blood cancer which causes a accumulation in tissues and organs of cells which normally fight infection and, due to the infiltration of these cells, tissues and organs become dense and fibrotic.

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It usually manifests clinically in the form of inflammations which may affect any part of the body, such as the bones, the blood vessels, the endocrine system and the central nervous system.

The hospital is now part of a non-profit organization dedicated to awareness, education and research of this disease, of which the following are members more than 35 centers around the world.