{"id":32207,"date":"2026-05-18T09:08:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aafa.org\/?p=32207"},"modified":"2026-05-18T09:09:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:09:04","slug":"one-fire-many-flames-the-immune-response-fueling-allergic-and-inflammatory-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aafa.org\/one-fire-many-flames-the-immune-response-fueling-allergic-and-inflammatory-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"One Fire, Many Flames: The Immune Response Fueling Allergic and Inflammatory Diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"

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News<\/h2>\n

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AAFA\u2019s health education campaigns for Type 2 Inflammation Awareness Week and World EoE Day connect people to the resources, treatments, and community they need to manage life with allergic diseases<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Washington D.C., May 18, 2026 \u2014 Over 106 million people in the United States live with asthma, allergies, eczema, chronic hives, nasal polyps, or eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) \u2014 and many live with more than one of these conditions. While the diseases may seem unrelated, they share a common source: an overactive immune response known as type 2 inflammation.<\/p>\n

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is marking May 18-22, 2026, as Type 2 Inflammation Awareness Week<\/a> with the launch of “One Fire, Many Flames,” a health education campaign that illuminates the role of inflammation in fueling allergic conditions. Inflammation acts like a fire burning inside the body. Depending on where the flames flare, it can show up as itchy skin, a wheezing chest, a runny nose, trouble swallowing, or a multi-system reaction to certain foods.<\/p>\n

Understanding that these conditions share a single source of inflammation explains why so many people carry more than one diagnosis, and why these allergic conditions often run in families. It also shifts the understanding in how to treat these conditions \u2013 moving beyond treating each \u201cflame\u201d toward addressing the \u201cfire\u201d at its source.<\/p>\n

“When people understand their asthma, eczema, food allergies, EoE, or other allergic conditions can share the same underlying cause, it gives them the confidence to advocate for better care,” said Melanie Carver, chief mission officer at AAFA. “They finally have language for what they are experiencing and can talk with their health care team about management plans for their conditions. But they don\u2019t have to do it alone – they have a community standing with them along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in its third year, Type 2 Inflammation Awareness Week is a signature initiative of AAFA\u2019s annual Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month in May. This year’s Awareness Month theme, “The Power of Community,” underscores what AAFA sees at the center of good health: people who feel connected \u2014 to information, to care, and to each other \u2014 are better equipped to manage their conditions.<\/p>\n

A Community of Diseases, A Community of People<\/strong><\/p>\n

For many people, living with one of these allergic conditions means living with several. People juggle multiple diagnoses, multiple specialists, and multiple care plans \u2014 often while supporting family members navigating the same. Surrounding each of them is a wider community of friends, loved ones, health care professionals, school staff, employers, and advocates who all play a role in their daily life. The fire burns in the body, but it is felt by everyone around it. Recognizing both communities, the one inside the body and the one around it, is at the heart of this year’s awareness campaign.<\/p>\n

Food Shouldn’t Hurt: World EoE Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

This week also marks World EoE Day on May 22, honoring people living with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) \u2013 one of the conditions featured in the \u201cOne Fire, Many Flames\u201d campaign. Driven by the same type 2 inflammation, EoE is chronic inflammation in the esophagus that can make eating painful, slow, or even dangerous. Many people face long delays before getting an accurate diagnosis. This year’s theme for World EoE Day, “Food Shouldn’t Hurt,” captures that daily reality.<\/p>\n

“EoE is a chronic inflammatory condition, and even when symptoms quiet down, inflammation in the esophagus can keep doing damage,\u201d said Dr. David Stukus, an allergist and medical advisor to AAFA. \u201cOver time, that damage can lead to scarring and narrowing that becomes harder to reverse. Working with a specialist to address the underlying condition is one of the most powerful things you can do for your long-term health.”<\/p>\n

World EoE Day is coordinated by the EoE Day Alliance, a global coalition of patient advocacy organizations of which AAFA is a proud member.<\/p>\n

Join the Community This May<\/strong><\/p>\n

AAFA invites people, families, health care professionals, and community partners to take part in Type 2 Inflammation Awareness Week:<\/p>\n