Entzündungsmedizin in Deutschland und Europa: Status quo, strukturelle Herausforderungen und Zukunftsperspektiven
摘要
The number of people affected by immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) is steadily increasing in Germany and Europe, representing growing medical and health economic challenges. Those affected are often young patients with chronic multimorbidity and significant impairment to their quality of life, ability to work, and social participation. Despite significant advances in immunology, translational research and targeted immunotherapies, care for many affected individuals remains fragmented in practice. In everyday clinical practice, chronic inflammation is predominantly addressed on an organ-specific basis, even though inflammatory signaling pathways and systemic pathomechanisms frequently affect multiple organ systems simultaneously. A lack of interdisciplinarity hinders the early detection of extra-organ manifestations and inflammation-associated comorbidities. At the same time, sectoral care structures, a lack of data interoperability, and indication-specific research approaches lead to limitations in prevention, longitudinal monitoring, and data-driven precision medicine. In the long term, a structured, cross-indication approach to inflammatory disease medicine could help integrate clinical care and translational research more closely, strengthen prevention and early intervention, and incorporate personalized therapeutic strategies more sustainably into clinical practice.