general neurology

Neurology is a rapidly developing field and many diseases have lost their poor or even fatal prognosis through scientific progress. Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, infections of the nervous system, epilepsies and many other diseases were barely untreatable only 50 years ago but can now be effectively treated and sometimes even cured. But all this progress needs to be brought to the patient. The providers who take care of this are the neurologists. Moreover, neurological disorders are among the most frequent diseases. This is increasingly recognised by the different European national health systems and luckily we have a constantly increasing number of neurologists in Europe. They are united in different national Societies and within the Academy at European level.

Gian Luigi Lenzi (GLL): As Chair of the Teaching Course Sub-Committee of the EAN, can you illustrate the role you give to EAN within the community of European neurologists? Theodor Landis (TL): EAN, the fusion of the two major European neurological societies, should become the home for neurology and neurology related specialities. It should combine the strongholds and particularities of both previous societies in a harmonious way and as such that it appeals to the broad majority of neurologists all over Europe. 

As in the previous year, Neuropenews asked EAN committee members, panel chairs, speakers, … which session one should not miss at the upcoming congress in Berlin, June 2015. Please find their answers below …

In our Presidents' letter of November 2013 we concluded that academic general neurology should have a future. Among the main reasons for this statement we listed the care of patients, the education of students and residents, the growing evidence for an intricate and unsuspected relationship between many diseases of the nervous system, each today still „belonging“ to separate subspecialties.

When we started our speciality training in the UK and Switzerland in the 1970s and 1980s, general neurology was the backbone of clinical care and teaching in our countries (and most countries in Europe).