Volume 22 Supplement 1 October 2011 ISSN 0953-6205 EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF Abstracts from 10th Congress of the European Federation of Internal Medicine October 5–8, 2011 Athens, Greece www.ejinme.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com The official journal of the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM) EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF European Federation of Internal Medicine The European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM) is a scientific organisation founded in 1996 from the Association Européenne de Médecine Interne (AEMI)*. AEMI was founded in 1969 by members of the UEMS monospecialty section on internal medicine to provide a scientific organisation of internal medicine on a European basis. EFIM was formed by bringing together the national societies of internal medicine in each of the European countries, both inside and outside the European Union. EFIM currently comprises 33 member Societies representing over 30,000 internists. www.efim.org The Official Journal of EFIM Executive Committee European Federation President Treasurer of Internal Medicine Werner Bauer, Switzerland Faustino Ferreira, Portugal President Elect Past President Ramon Pujol Farriols, Spain Stefan Lindgren, Sweden Vice-President Honorary President Serhat Unal, Turkey Ugo E F Carcassi, Italy Irish Association Swedish Society Secretary-General of Internal Medicine of Internal Medicine Jan Willem F Elte, The Netherlands Founder Members of EFIM: Yves Le Tallec, France (deceased); Ugo Carcassi, Italy; Christopher Davidson, England; Philippe Jaeger, Switzerland; Icelandic Society Norwegian Society Jaime Merino, Spain; Michel Lambert, France. of Internal Medicine for Internal Medicine Member Countries Algerian Society of Internal Medicine (Associate Member) Affiliated with Austrian Society of Internal Medicine Belgian Society of Internal Medicine Czech Society of Internal Medicine Polish Society Turkish Society Danish Society of Internal Medicine of Internal Medicine of Internal Medicine Estonian Society of Internal Medicine Finnish Society of Internal Medicine French Society of Internal Medicine German Society of Internal Medicine Hellenic Society of Internal Medicine Hungarian Society of Internal Medicine Portuguese Society Icelandic Society of Internal Medicine of Internal Medicine Irish Association of Internal Medicine Israeli Society of Internal Medicine (Associate Member) Italian Society of Internal Medicine Latvian Society of Internal Medicine Volume 22 (2011) Lithuanian Society of Internal Medicine Luxembourg Society of Internal Medicine Malta (Association of Physicians of Malta) Moroccan Society of Internal Medicine (Associate Member) Netherlands Society of Internal Medicine Norwegian Society of Internal Medicine Polish Society of Internal Medicine Portugese Society of Internal Medicine Romanian Society of Internal Medicine Serbian Association of Internal Medicine Slovak Society of Internal Medicine Slovenian Society of Internal Medicine Spanish Society of Internal Medicine Swedish Society of Internal Medicine Swiss Society of Internal Medicine Tunisian Society of Internal Medicine (Associate Member) Amsterdam • Boston • London • New York • Oxford • Paris • Philadelphia • San Diego • St. Louis Turkish Society of Internal Medicine UK (The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom) EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF The offi cial Journal of the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM) Editor-in-Chief P.M. Mannucci, Scientifi c Director, IRCCS Cà Granda Foundation Maggiore Hospital, Milan, Italy Past Editors U. Carcassi (1989–1998); H. Hillen (1999–2002); P.W. de Leeuw (2003–2008) Associate Editors J. Casademont, Internal Medicine, Hospital de Sant Pau/Universitat Aut`onoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain S. Corrao, Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Subspecialties University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy R. Hojs, University Medical Centre Maribor, Clinic for Internal Medicine, Maribor, Slovenia A. Jotkowitz, Prywes Center for Medical Education, Department of Internal Medicine, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel J. Kellett, St. Joseph’s General Hospital, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, Ireland Statistical/Epidemiology Editor Young Internist Editor V. Novack, Beer-Sheva, Israel M. Vardi, Haifa, Israel Section Editors Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology: Rheumatology and Immunology: A. Schaper, Göttingen, Germany L. Dagna, Milan, Italy Endocrinology: G.F. Ferraccioli, Rome, Italy U. Feldt-Rasmussen, Copenhagen, Infectious Diseases: Denmark E. Van Wijngaerden, Leuven, Belgium Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine: Gastroenterology: M. Levi, Amsterdam, The Netherlands A.S. Peña, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Nephrology: Hepatology: H. Haller, Hannover, Germany C. Puoti, Rome, Italy Pneumology: S. Aliberti, Monza, Italy Haematology: W. Wuyts, Leuven, Belgium M.D. Cappellini, Milan, Italy Vascular Medicine and Cardiology: Oncology: A. Perrier, Geneva, Switzerland E. Zucca, Bellinzona, Switzerland J.-L. Reny, Geneva, Switzerland Editorial Board M. Mittelman, Israel M. Bivol, Norway F. Monzani, Italy A. Blum, Israel J. Mustonen, Finland J-L. Dupond, France J. O’Hare, Ireland I. Duris, Slovakia E. Pilger, Austria J.W.F. Elte, the Netherlands J.A. Plius˘kys, Lithuania P.R.J. Falger, the Netherlands S.A. Raptis, Greece B. Fantin, France M. Ravid, Israel J. García-Alegría, Spain H. Sahin, Turkey Y. Hirata, Japan Y. Seedat, South Africa K. Hork´y, Czech Republic Y. Shoenfeld, Israel M. Kelly, United Kingdom I. Silins, Latvia L. Kotik, Czech Republic K. Sjöberg, Sweden E. Kucharz, Poland R. Stein, United States of America K. Lundin, Norway C. Tanasescu, Romania A. Mellemgaard, Denmark E.V. Tsianos, Greece doi:10.1016/S0953-6205(11)00203-2 © 2011 European Federation of Internal Medicine. All rights reserved This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the European Federation of Internal Medicine and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the Publisher and pay- ment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. 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