What's New with AAFA

When Joey was 4 years old, his parents took him to see an allergist. He was having trouble breathing and having challenges with his digestive system. They learned that Joey has asthma triggered by environmental and food allergies.

As Nancy Gomez knows, managing a child’s severe asthma can take a big toll on a parent’s time, finances and emotions. Nancy’s 10-year-old son, Oziel, has had asthma and allergies since he was a baby. Today Oziel has environmental allergies to pollen, animals, dust, smoke and more. His allergies, exercise and cold weather all trigger his asthma. On top of this, Oziel also has life-threatening food allergies. And he is autistic. Managing all of this is a constant challenge.

During gym class, young April Behounek, noticed a burning sensation in her chest and trouble breathing. She told her mom and they went to see an allergist in northern Wisconsin. At age 10, April was diagnosed with asthma and an allergy to dogs. She grew up managing her asthma with the support of her parents and her doctors. This included using both long-term control and quick-relief inhalers.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) recently received a Eugene Washington Engagement Award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to support AAFA’s Building A Scalable Infrastructure to Connect Patients and Researchers (BASIC) project.

Shari Duncan has had asthma for more than three decades. In recent years it has become quite severe. Shari takes daily asthma maintenance medicines, does nebulizer breathing treatments and works hard to avoid her biggest asthma triggers. She also uses her quick-relief inhaler about once or twice a week. In spite of these efforts, four to six times a year Shari is hospitalized for asthma.

For many, asthma is caused by an allergic reaction to something. This is called allergic asthma is the most common. But a small number of people with asthma have “non-allergic asthma.” Lynn Johnson is part of this group. Lynn developed non-allergic asthma seven years ago, as an adult.

About 25 million Americans have asthma. There is no cure. But you can manage it with a proper treatment plan and by avoiding triggers. But there might be one thing out of your control that can make managing asthma a challenge: where you live. Today, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has released the 2018 Asthma Capitals™ report. This report ranks the top 100 cities in the U.S. where it’s challenging to live with asthma.

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. We hope you will join us in our efforts to raise awareness about asthma and allergies. Almost 25 million people in the US with asthma and about 6 million are children under the age of 18. Sadly, in the US, there are still 10 deaths per day due to asthma, and most of those fatalities are preventable. Together we can educate other about the seriousness of asthma.

It's important to get rid of expired or unused medicines, inhalers and epinephrine auto-injectors properly. There are several ways you can dispose of your medicines in a way that is safe and better for the environment.

As many in the U.S. put away their winter coats, they pull out the allergy medicines. The onslaught of pollen that comes each spring affects millions of Americans with seasonal allergies. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has released the 2018 Spring Allergy Capitals™ report that ranks the top 100 cities in the nation for spring allergies

Shop Our Online Store to Spread the Word About Asthma and Allergy Awareness Nearly 24 million Americans have asthma. And more than 50 million have allergies. So chances are you or someone you know has an allergic disease. The best way to support people with these diseases is by helping everyone understand them better. Each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) declares May to be " National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month ." It's a perfect time to educate your family,...

On Oct. 1, 2016, Austin Dodds had a massive asthma attack. He lost consciousness and a few days later he passed away. Today, Meredith Dodds is making an impact in her son’s memory and to honor his giving nature. She is raising awareness for asthma.