TY - JOUR T1 - Oral prednisolone was not inferior to intravenous prednisolone for treatment failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation JF - Evidence Based Medicine JO - Evid Based Med SP - 145 LP - 145 DO - 10.1136/ebm.13.5.145 VL - 13 IS - 5 A2 - , Y1 - 2008/10/01 UR - http://ebm.bmj.com/content/13/5/145.abstract N2 - Y P de JongDr Y P de Jong, Isala Klinieken, Zwolle, The Netherlands; y.p.de.jong@isala.nlDesign:randomised, placebo controlled, non-inferiority trial.Allocation:unclear concealment.*Blinding:blinded (patients).*Setting:single hospital in Zwolle, the Netherlands.Patients:210 patients >40 years of age (mean age 71 y, 75% men) who were admitted to hospital for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation (history of increased breathlessness and >1 of the following for ⩾24 hours: increased cough frequency or severity, increased sputum volume or purulence, and increased wheeze), had a history of ⩾10 pack-years cigarette smoking, and evidence of airflow limitation (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]/forced vital capacity ratio <70% and FEV1 <80% predicted). Exclusion criteria included very severe exacerbation of … ER -