Author
Marion Wilkens, as appeared in Alpha1 Journal 1/2026.
From April 18 to 21, 2026, several thousand physicians, scientists, and other specialists met in Wiesbaden for the annual congress of the German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM). The congress is one of the most important continuing education events for internal medicine in Germany and offers an excellent platform each year to discuss the latest scientific findings, innovative therapies, and current developments in health policy. Here, we encounter, in particular, general practitioners – often the first point of contact for patients and therefore crucial for the early diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
Many of the topics presented there – particularly in the fields of pulmonology, hepatology, and rare diseases – have a direct impact on patient care and future treatment options. As a patient representative, I had the opportunity to attend numerous fascinating lectures and engage in interesting discussions.
Below I would like to share some of my personal highlights with you.
Pulmonology was significantly more represented at this year's congress than in previous years, and the events were correspondingly well-attended. This may also explain why alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency was addressed several times. It is possible that—as was already observed at the DGP congress—the new S2k guideline is also contributing to raising awareness of the disease. After all, most people with COPD are cared for by their primary care physician and, according to the guideline, should be tested for AATD once in their lifetime.
Since liver diseases are a major focus of internal medicine and elevated liver enzyme levels frequently need to be investigated in everyday practice, knowledge about our genetic defect is also of great importance here. I was particularly impressed by Prof. Dr. Pavel Strnad's lecture on the practical approach to elevated liver enzyme levels. I not only learned a great deal about the diagnosis of liver diseases, but also gained a better understanding of new connections.
The industry symposia also addressed the topic of the liver. At the Grifols symposium, the connection to AATD in children was established using chronic liver diseases as a starting point. The speaker was our advisory board member, Dr. Alexander Weigert from Bonn. Of course, the lungs were not neglected: Dr. Heiko Knoop provided practical tips for recognizing systemic diseases in everyday medical practice. Our advisory board member, Prof. Dr. Timm Greulich, impressively demonstrated in his presentation how closely the lungs and liver are linked in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
These connections were also the focus of CSL Behring's symposium entitled "A Window into the Lungs and Liver – Interactive Case Presentations." An expert team consisting of Dr. Andreas Hoheisel, Dr. Meike Pflüger, and our advisory board members Prof. Dr. Pavel Strnad and Prof. Dr. Franziska Trudzinski discussed various patient cases and demonstrated the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to this disease.
”„"Help! My patients are diagnosing themselves with smartwatches and rings: When and how should I react – or should I not react at all?!""
I would like to share another highlight with you – the title of the presentation alone piqued my curiosity: „Help! My patients are diagnosing themselves with smartwatches and rings: When and how should I react – or is it better not to react at all?! Discussion and practical tips on dealing with patient self-monitoring.“
I couldn't help but smile. We often talk about how challenging the path to diagnosis can be for patients – this presentation shows that doctors are also facing entirely new challenges today. The increasing amount of health data from smartwatches and other wearable devices opens up many opportunities, but also requires sensitivity in handling this information.
