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Treatment for patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes inhaled bronchodilators, antibiotics, and systemic glucocorticoids. In a 1999 randomized trial, 2-week courses of glucocorticoids (methylprednisolone for 72 hours, followed by tapered oral prednisone) were as effective as 8-week courses and more effective than placebo (NEJM JW Gen Med Jul 2 1999). Subsequently, shorter-course and lower-dose glucocorticoid therapies were shown to be effective as well, but the optimal dosage and length of treatment still were debated. A 2011 Cochrane review showed no excess of treatment failures with regimens of ≤7 days versus >7 days, but data were insufficient to draw firm conclusions. The 2013 GOLD guid…