Application of short-term glucocorticoid therapy in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Objective To observe the availability and safety of short-term glucocorticoid therapy in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Methods 86 cases of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were randomly divided into short-term group and standard-term group which was given methylprednisolone 40 mg per-day for 5 days through intravenous and prednisone 30 mg orally per-day for 10-14 days respectively,after the tapered to discontinuation.The indices including CAT score,lung function,blood gas analysis,length of stay in hospital and therapy achievement rate was compared between two groups after treatment finished respectively.All cases were followed up for 1 year and the re-exacerbation rate was compared between two groups also.At the meantime,postprandial blood sugar and adrenocorticotrophic hormone was also compared between two groups after treatment finished respectively. Results There was no statistical difference in lung function indices,therapy achievement rate and re-exacerbation rate between two groups respectively(P0.05).But a lower CAT score,a better blood gas index,a shorter length of stay in hospital,a lower postprandial blood sugar and a higher ACTH level was observed respectively in short-term group than that in standard-term group(P0.05). Conclusion With an excellent availability and security,strategy of 5 days glucocorticoid method is better for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease therapy.