Type 2 inflammation connection

related disorders

Since the skin, nose, airways, and lungs are places where type 2 inflammation can occur, there is a long list of disorders associated with this type of inflammation, including co-occurring conditions. Common accompanying disorders include:

• allergy: Allergies are the immune system’s response to normally harmless substances, such as certain foods or plants. People who are not allergic generally have no reaction to the substance.
• Asma: Asthma is a lung disease that causes inflammation and narrows the airways in the lungs, causing mild or severe breathing difficulties.
• Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRScPN): It is a chronic inflammatory disease in which benign neoplasms called nasal polyps form in the sinuses or nose, which can cause problematic symptoms such as sinus pressure and difficulty breathing. Even after surgery to remove nasal polyps, nasal polyps often recur.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): This condition causes the airways and other parts of the lungs to deteriorate, making breathing difficult. Smoking is the most common cause of COPD, but there are other causes, such as environmental pollution.
• eczema: Eczema is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes the skin to become inflamed, dry, and itchy. Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of eczema.
• Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE): This chronic condition occurs in response to triggers, such as certain foods or environmental allergens. A person’s esophagus overflows with white blood cells, causing painful inflammation in the esophagus. It may become difficult to eat or swallow comfortably.
• pruritus nodularis: This disease, which causes rashes and itchiness on the skin, can appear anywhere on the body, but most commonly appears on the abdomen, arms, and legs.
• hives: Hives, the medical term for hives, are red, itchy bumps that occur anywhere on the body and often go away on their own. Hives may come and go repeatedly over weeks or months, often for no apparent reason. This is called chronic spontaneous urticaria.

According to Gupta, when people suffer from two or more of these disorders, health care providers should consider whether underlying type 2 inflammation may be making them worse. “Environmental factors, including pollution or infection, as well as allergens such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites and mold, can trigger or worsen type 2 inflammation,” he said. “In these cases, it is important to alleviate the underlying type 2 inflammation as much as possible to reduce the severity of the accompanying disorder.”

Lack of awareness of type 2 inflammation by both patients and healthcare providers can contribute to delayed diagnosis, especially when more than one disorder is present. This lack of awareness means that the disease can be a huge burden on your quality of life, and you may not realize that chronic inflammatory disorders can be much easier to manage with professional treatment.

Type 2 Inflammation Diagnosis

To treat the underlying inflammation, your healthcare provider must identify the inflammation that involves one or more disorders, such as asthma or EoE. One way your healthcare provider can tell if you have widespread inflammation is by measuring the number of eosinophils in your blood.

Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that protects the body from allergens. It may also be an indicator of type 2 inflammation. If your blood contains too many eosinophils, it may help your healthcare provider diagnose type 2 inflammation.

Another way your healthcare provider can identify type 2 inflammation in your body is with a breath test called an exhaled nitric oxide fraction test. This test measures the amount of nitric oxide you exhale with each breath. The more nitric oxide you have, the more inflammation your airways will have, Gupta said.

What types of health care providers can diagnose or manage disorders associated with type 2 inflammation?

According to Gupta, if your disorder is well controlled, it is not always necessary to see a specialist right away. “However, if you feel that your disorder is not under control or is not responding well to current treatment, you should ask for a referral to a specialist.”

Of course, you may already be consulting with an expert. For example, someone with eczema is likely to see a dermatologist, someone with EoE is likely to see a gastroenterologist, and someone with COPD is likely to see a pulmonologist.

If you have a complex condition such as type 2 inflammation, it may be a good idea to consult an allergist as it is important to have a multidisciplinary healthcare team to provide support. An allergist can help you manage any type of disorder associated with type 2 inflammation and should have up-to-date information about medications that may help. “Many of the drugs used for type 2 inflammation are biopharmaceuticals that may be useful for more than one disorder, but typically require a specialized approach and knowledge,” Gupta said.

Disease control is not a cure

Unfortunately, there is no cure for allergic disease or type 2 inflammatory disease. “You can use medications to control this, but it’s important to understand that type 2 inflammation is more likely to return if you stop taking the medication,” Dr. Gupta said.

If the underlying inflammation remains uncontrolled, flare-ups will continue and possibly worsen, sometimes much worse. “External triggers like pollution, allergens and infections can cause more inflammation on top of what you already have, which can then cause serious problems for your body,” he said. “This is why we still have 11 asthma deaths a day in this country, because we are not adequately controlling the underlying inflammation.”

On the other hand, if patients with type 2 inflammation-related diseases can control inflammation with appropriate drug therapy and continue to monitor their disease, the prognosis is positive. “With all the good treatment options available to us, we should be able to control the disorders associated with type 2 inflammation to the point where you barely notice you have asthma, EoE or hives,” Gupta said. “Effective treatments and team decision-making to choose the best therapy for you will ultimately bring type 2 inflammation under control.”