Top 8 Challenge Day

Top 8 Challenge Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on August 8th. The purpose of this holiday is to organize fundraising challenges where people are encouraged to raise funds for research into eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders.

Every person who signs up for the challenge on this holiday will abstain from the top 8 allergenic food for a 24-hour period. It’s an important day to raise awareness about eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders and to raise money for medical research for it.

At this time, no one knows what causes eosinophilic disorders, but hopefully, thanks to this holiday that will soon change and we as a society will be able to find a cure for these disorders.

The History Of Top 8 Challenge Day

This holiday was created in Australia as a part of National EOS Awareness Week. This week was created to raise awareness and research dollars for eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs).

These EGIDs have a problematic effect on the body and can cause symptoms such as frequent vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty swallowing, and poor weight gain. In 1999, the International Eosinophil Society was founded in Sweden to study the role of eosinophils in various diseases.

Ten years later, the ausEE, an Australian charitable organization, is founded to raise awareness about eosinophilic disorders. The following year, the ausEE created the Top 8 Challenge. This holiday has been observed ever since.

Some Quick Facts About Eosinophilic Disorders

If there’s one thing that we learned while we were researching Top 8 Challenge Day is that not a lot of people outside of the medical field know a lot about eosinophilic disorders.

That’s why we’ve decided to go ahead and list some facts that people may not know about these disorders. With that being said, we can’t cover everything there is to know on this subject, so we created a list of some quick facts that will serve as a launching point for people to do their own research.

  • There are 3 types of eosinophilic disorders: Eosinophilic esophagitis, Eosinophilic colitis, and Eosinophilic gastroenteritis.
  • Symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis include abdominal pain, vomiting, refusing to feed, choking episodes, and dysphagia.
  • Treatments for these disorders may include medicines such as corticosteroids, dietary changes, and an upper GI endoscopy.

Observing Top 8 Challenge Day

Everyone can observe this holiday by participating in the Top 8 Challenge and abstaining from the top eight allergic foods. People can also raise money and donate it to ausEE or other organizations that are working towards finding a cure for medical research.

It’s also a good idea for people to spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #Top8ChallengeDay on social media.

When is it?
This year (2024)
August 8 Thursday
Next year (2025)
August 8 Friday
Last year (2023)
August 8 Tuesday
Topic
Awareness & Cause, Health & Body