Rinsing the mouth and gargling with warm water after use should help prevent this infection. Inhaled corticosteroids are not useful in severe or acute attacks of asthma, but they can reduce their frequency. Finding the right doses of the right medicines that will benefit a child often takes a period of trial and error. The doctor will fine-tune the treatment as much as possible, taking into account the child's symptoms and the medications' adverse effects. With good management, a child with asthma should be able to lead a normal, active life.
Exercise is also a common trigger in children, as well as adults.
Irritants such as perfumes, cigarette smoke, wood smoke, hair sprays, paint odors, cotton or wood dust, industrial chemicals and fumes, and outdoor pollution may also bring on an attack. Cold air and changes in the weather, in which winds sweep in from other areas carrying irritants, pollution or different pollens, often cause a flare. A cough, shout or laugh may stimulate the vagus nerve that leads to the lungs, and cause an attack. Allergies play a part in triggering attacks in a large percentage of children with asthma. Some of the most common offenders are animal dander, pollen, mold, ragweed, house dust, bacteria, dust mites, fungi, and animal and human skin fragments.