PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Asim Kichloo
AU  - Michael Aljadah
AU  - Navya Vipparla
AU  - Farah Wani
TI  - Optimal glucocorticoid dose and the effects on mortality, length of stay, and readmission rates in patients diagnosed with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD)
AID  - 10.1136/jim-2019-001105
DP  - 2019 Dec 01
TA  - Journal of Investigative Medicine
PG  - 1161--1164
VI  - 67
IP  - 8
4099  - http://hw-f5-jim.highwire.org/content/67/8/1161.short
4100  - http://hw-f5-jim.highwire.org/content/67/8/1161.full
SO  - J Investig Med2019 Dec 01; 67
AB  - The burden of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is staggering on a national and global level. Yet, surprisingly, there is a profound lack of treatment standardization with glucocorticoids in the treatment of AECOPD. In this review, we bring attention to specific literature that use a cut-off of 60 mg prednisone equivalent per day when distinguishing between high-dose and low-dose glucocorticoid treatment. We hope this review encourages future research to begin incrementally lowering the cut-off dose of 60 mg to discover if mortality, length of hospital stays, and readmission rates change between high-dose and low-dose glucocorticoid treatment. The final hope would be to establish an optimal glucocorticoid dose to treat AECOPD and eliminate treatment ambiguity.