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Although the adverse effects of long-term corticosteroids are clear, relatively little is known about short-term use. In this retrospective U.S. study, researchers used a nationwide commercial insurance claims dataset to determine the incidence of three adverse effects (sepsis, venous thromboembolism, and fracture) associated with oral corticosteroid use for <30 days by >1.5 million adults (age range, 18–64; mean age, 45) continuously enrolled from 2012 through 2014.
In all, 21% of participants received at least one short-term prescription for an oral corticosteroid (median duration, 6 days; median prednisone equivalent dose, 20 mg daily). Nearly half (47%) of patients received a 6-day “dosepack” of methylprednisolone. Respiratory tract infe…