UEG Week 2024

From 12–15 October, United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week was held in person in Vienna, Austria, and online simultaneously. According to the organizers, there were 11,377 total registrants from 114 countries or territories, of whom 11% were registered for the virtual congress, with 4,701 individuals registered for the Postgraduate Teaching Programme, of whom 19% were registered for virtual attendance.

Alongside the usual variety of sessions on basic, translational and clinical science across the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology, there was an expansion in the scope of the topics covered, and indeed how they were delivered (so-called silent sessions with attendees listening on headphones). Sessions on metabolism and nutrition were noticeably prominent, highlighting the current interest in food as medicine and the new obesity management medications. A whole session was dedicated to the role of nutrition in the pathogenesis and treatment of lower gastrointestinal disease and a late-breaker abstract presented positive data for the ‘Tasty&Healthy’ flexible diet in children and young adults with mild–moderate Crohn’s disease. Attendees were also guided through the underlying mechanisms for GLP1 agonists and the ever-expanding list of dual and triple agonists for the management of obesity, as well as given practical advice on the therapeutic management of obesity, which included lifestyle interventions and surgery.