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UEG Digestive Health Month in May to shine the light on GI diseases in Europe The first UEG Digestive Health Month will take place this May to increase awareness about digestive health and to highlight how more funding can help to advance our understanding of related diseases. It will bring much needed attention to gastrointestinal diseases that people often shy away from. Two of the key initiatives being organised by UEG will be the “Digestive Health and Children” and “Prevention, Promotion and Screening” events to be held in the European Parliament. They will enable UEG members to raise awareness and reach out to policymakers about the rising incidence of GI diseases in the EU and the worrying lack of research funding to address them. UEG will point out that more than 600 million patients over 60 suffered from a gastrointestinal disease in 2000. This number is expected to double to 1.2 billion by 2025. And yet, GI receives far too little of Europe’s current annual health research budget. Digestive health is an important part of a healthy lifestyle amongst Europeans of all ages, including children. The incidence of childhood GI disorders is increasing in many European countries, yet the impacts of these conditions on the child’s social and psychological well-being is often overlooked. These include among others inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), coeliac disease and oesophagitis. The “Digestive Health and Children” initiative will include an exhibition in the European Parliament in Brussels from May 31 to June 1, 2016. This interactive event will bring together committed stakeholders to mobilise support for digestive health issues and to showcase research success. The “Prevention, Promotion and Screening – European Code Against Cancer” event will be held on May 26. Ít will highlight the importance of screening for digestive cancers as it coincides with the European Week against Cancer. To follow UEG Digestive Health Month, show your support and get involved, please follow @my_UEG on Twitter. To join in the campaign and help us raise awareness about the importance of digestive health please use campaign hashtag #DigestiveHealthMonth |
