"Steroids for acute COPD--but for how long? Not only was a shorter course of glucocorticoid therapy as effective as a 14-day regimen, but there was no difference in the time to next exacerbation."Prescribe a 5-day regimen of glucocorticoid therapy for acute chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations; the shorter course of treatment appears to be as effective as a 14-day regimen