Inflammatory bowel diseases: highlights from the United European Gastroenterology Week 2008

More than 12,000 gastroenterologists attended the United European Gastroenterology Week 2008 meeting in Vienna. As in recent years, presentations on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) were among the hot topics. One of the plenary lectures presented the first results of the landmark Study of Biologic and Immunomodulator Naive Patients in Crohn's Disease, a large collaborative worldwide study assessing the effects of azathioprine or infliximab monotherapy versus the combination of both drugs in early Crohn's patients. Interestingly, monotherapy with infliximab was significantly more effective than azathioprine after a 30-week treatment period; however, highest remission rates were observed in combination therapy with infliximab plus azathioprine. This study might affect the treatment of Crohn's patients in the future. Several studies addressed basic immunological aspects in IBDs. It has recently been established that the epithelial cell is crucial in the pathogenesis of these barrier diseases as genetic defects, for example, in the X-box binding protein-1 (XBP1), lead to spontaneous enteritis. Besides these cells, intestinal fibroblasts and microvascular endothelial cells are increasingly recognized as contributing to various extents to the disease process. Inflammatory bowel disease remains at the forefront of research in gastroenterology and recent findings will result in new treatment strategies.