Medical Society Meetings, Fall 2025 (FMX, AAP, ACG, NASPGHAN)

Each year, APFED attends medical meetings to share the patient perspective, strengthen collaborations, and to report back to our community highlights of the latest research and clinical developments. We attended a number of meetings this fall, which are outlined below.

2025 NASPGHAN Annual Meeting

The 2025 NASPGHAN Annual Meeting took place Nov 5-8 in Chicago. This event brought together pediatric gastroenterologists, hepatologists, nutrition specialists and allied professionals. APFED attended the meeting to learn important updates, research insights, and opportunities for education and advocacy. Below are some highlights from the meeting.

APFED-sponsored Outstanding EGID Abstract Awards. Donations to APFED enabled us to sponsor two abstract awards at NASPGHAN this year, outlined below. These small awards ($750) recognized excellent research and helped to offset the travel costs for the presenter to share their findings among their peers.

• Unique gene signatures identify treatment-response and age-specific differences between adults and children with eosinophilic esophagitis. Krishan Chhiba, Michael White, Ming-Yu Wang, Barry Wershil, Nirmala Gonsalves, Joshua Wechsler. These researchers found specific patterns in gene activity that are unique to adults with EoE and to how people respond to an elimination diet. These findings may help us better understand age-related differences in EoE, uncover new pathways involved in the disease, and eventually guide more personalized dietary treatment options.
• The correlation between esophageal distensibility with dysphagia scores in pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis is dependent on disease activity. Joshua Thariath, Jose Peraza, Ritam Patel, Zeinab Dehghani, Kaitlyn Keeley, Michael White, Joshua Wechsler. These researchers found that in children with EoE, worse swallowing symptoms were linked to a smaller measure of how well the esophagus stretches, meaning the esophagus was less able to stretch. This relationship was strongest when the disease was active and wasn’t seen in children whose EoE was in remission. These findings suggest that inflammation may play an important role in how severe swallowing symptoms feel.

Sessions. A few sessions focused on eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease were included in the NASPGHAN program this year, including:

• A session on unsedated transnasal endoscopy (TNE) to provide practical guidance on establishing a TNE program in the clinic, to share findings from the NOSE UP Study on developing and validating a new skills assessment tool for pediatric TNE, and strategies to promote safety and patient/parent trust during a TNE procedure. The session ended with a talk describing new feasibility study that explored anesthesia-free transoral endoscopy using a modified pacifier in early infancy. This was a prospective, single-center feasibility study.
• A session titled Current Approaches for Eosinophils in the Gut” included a pro/con debate on when to introduce biologic therapy in children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE),
• A session explored advances in diagnosing and managing non-EoE eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs), reviewing clinical features, monitoring recommendations, and emerging dietary and pharmacologic approaches.
• Flash Abstract Highlights showcased new research that offered insights into treatment outcomes and disease mechanisms in pediatric EoE, including how esophageal distensibility relates to inflammation and fibrosis in EoE, and early research on potential therapy that could help reduce fibrosis by limiting fibroblast activation.

To see the accepted scientific abstracts for 2025 have been Published on JPGN Reports, visit https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jpr3.70080

 

2025 ACG Annual Scientific Meeting

The 2025 ACG Annual Scientific Meeting (Oct 24–29, Phoenix, AZ) drew GI clinicians, researchers, and allied professionals from across the field of gastroenterology. APFED attended this meeting to exhibit in the exhibit hall and provide attendees with professional and patient-friendly resources, and to meet with our partners to discuss ways to improve outcomes and quality of life for the families we serve.

We did not attend the scientific sessions at this meeting, but are providing a summary of key programming below as a courtesy. For full information about the ACG meeting this year, click or tap here: https://acg2025.eventscribe.net/index.asp

Sessions. A number of sessions at the ACG meeting were specific to eosinophilic diseases, with heavy emphasis on eosinophilic esophagitis. A few of the highlights are described below:

• A session titled Step Up vs Step Down Therapy in Eosinophilic Esophagitis presented healthcare providers with a framework for positioning emerging therapeutic options, including topical corticosteroids, diet modifications, and biologics, within existing treatment paradigms for patients with EoE.
• The “Mysteries Revealed: Unraveling Eosinophilic Gastroenteropathies” session described diagnostic challenges in patients with suspected eosinophilic gastroenteropathies, focusing on histologic criteria and treatment strategies.
• Pills, Pens, and Slurries: Oh My! was a session that discussed updates and new guidelines for EoE treatment, including available pharmaceutical therapies for disease management.

• A session entitled “A Practical Guide to Diet Therapy in Eosinophilic” provided clinicians with food elimination approaches in EoE and endoscopic assessment of remission.

Posters. A number of posters and abstracts about eosinophilic GI disease were showcased at the ACG meeting. A few of the highlights include:

• “From ED to EoE: Improving Practices for Timely Diagnosis.” See this write up and interview with the researcher.
• “Enhancing Awareness of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) Among General/Family Practitioners to Improve Early Recognition and Intervention: Measuring the Impact of Continuing Medical Education”. Access the poster.
• “Diagnostic Codes Performance for Identification of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases Varies by Reference Standard Definition and Disease Subtype” – Poster on coding/identification issues in EGIDs. Access the poster.
• Case studies of complex EGID involvement (beyond EoE)

• •  “Concurrent Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis Presenting with Gastric Outlet Obstruction” Read more
  • Beyond the Usual Battle: Refractory Duodenal Ulcer From Overlapping Eosinophilic Enteritis and Esophagitis in a Young Soldier Requiring Combination Biologic Therapy” Read more

 

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

APFED attended AAP national conference which was held Sept. 26-30, in Denver, CO to engage with pediatric specialists who are often the first type of clinician that parents speak to about symptoms of eosinophil-associated diseases. We shared professional and educational resources, answered questions, and raised awareness about early recognition and management.

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FMX (American Academy of Family Practitioners)

APFED participated in FMX Family Medicine Experience which was held Oct. 5-9 in Anaheim. Our goal was to raise awareness of eosinophil-associated disease among family physicians who often play a key role in identifying symptoms and guiding families toward appropriate care. We provided tools and information to help clinicians better understand eosinophil-associated diseases and support their patients. These conversations help strengthen early diagnosis, improve care coordination, and expand awareness across primary care.