Welcome to 61st ERA Congress

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

After a break of fifteen years, the ERA Congress returns to the enchanting capital city of Stockholm known for its waterways, following a transformative period in our Society and a highly successful Congress in Milan in 2023.

The ERA Annual Congress remains committed to advancing the understanding and treatment of kidney disease to improve the well-being of patients. Our aim is to disseminate knowledge with a focus on clinical assessment and treatment, with the overarching theme for this year being “Rethinking Kidney Health and Transforming Kidney Care“, a theme personally selected by Albert Ong, Chairman of the Scientific Committee.

Early detection of kidney disease is essential for effective intervention and management. Targeted screening programmes, particularly in high-risk groups such as those with diabetes, hypertension or a family history of kidney disease, play a key role in identifying early-stage CKD.

Educating the community about risk factors for kidney disease, lifestyle changes and the importance of regular health checks, is crucial to promoting proactive management of kidney health. Adopting a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity, weight management and a healthy diet, is the cornerstone of our Healthy Lifestyles promotion, which aims to reduce the risk of kidney disease and its complications.

As usual, the opening day of the Stockholm 2024 Congress will feature educational sessions organised by the CME (Continuing Medical Education) Committee, led by Marianne Verhaar, in addition to hands-on courses, overseen by Kate Stevens. This year’s programme includes two hands-on courses and nine CME courses, ranging from half-day to full-day sessions. In particular, a new CME course supported by the ERN Working Group will focus on practical aspects of “renal nutrition” in advanced CKD, covering personalised nutrition care, controversial elements of low-protein diets, mineral management and sustainable plant-based CKD diets.

Under the leadership of Albert Ong, the Scientific Committee has meticulously crafted a comprehensive programme of 47 main symposia and 26 Free Communication sessions. This involved a discerning selection of international experts and esteemed key opinion leaders. Ronald Gansevoort, who chaired the paper selection committee alongside Congress President Peter Stenvinkel, provided invaluable support in this endeavour.

The overwhelming response to our call for abstracts, with over 2200 submissions from 82 countries, underlines the continuing interest in our Congress. In addition, the submission of a large number of excellent Late Breaking Clinical Trials (LBCT) abstracts necessitated the introduction of two LBCT sessions including ten significant studies, underlining the growing field of clinical research in kidney disease. The whole ERA Council carefully evaluated over 30 LBCT abstracts and selected the top 10 for presentation.

A third LBCT session will be fully dedicated to discussing the results of important research, The Flow trial, showing positive kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. This is the first time in the history of our congress that such sessions will be held.

The upcoming Stockholm Congress will also mark the 60th anniversary of the ERA Registry. Four special sessions (Creative Labs), organised by the ERA Registry group, will provide insight into their expertise and knowledge. In addition, a crash course in prediction models and a paper review session will enrich the Congress, drawing on the extensive epidemiology course offered by the ERA Registry.

The Square, where clinical experts will share their knowledge with congress delegates, is also new this year. This new stage is also a tribute to the host city, as the whole area will look like the oldest square in the city of Stockholm: Stortorget in Stockholm’s old town, Gamla Stan.

The programme will be completed by a number of exciting industry symposia.

We look forward to your participation in the 61st ERA Congress and extend a warm welcome to all.