Systemic corticosteroid leads to higher adverse drug effect compared with placebo (high certainty).
Systemic corticosteroid leads to higher hyperglycaemia compared with placebo (high certainty).
Treatment route: intravenous corticosteroid showed no clear difference in treatment failure Need to intensify therapy compared with oral corticosteroid (moderate certainty).
Treatment route: intravenous corticosteroid showed no clear difference in relapse Hospital readmission for COPD compared with oral corticosteroid (moderate certainty).
Tiotropium showed no clear difference in quality of life (SGRQ) Scale 0 to 100, where 100 represents worst… compared with placebo (high certainty).
Tiotropium leads to higher number of patients with a clinically significant improvement (≥ 4… compared with placebo (high certainty).
Tiotropium leads to lower number of patients with a clinically significant worsening (≥ 4… compared with placebo (high certainty).
Tiotropium leads to lower number of patients with one or more exacerbations compared with placebo (high certainty).
Tiotropium showed no clear difference in number of patients with one or more exacerbations requiring… compared with placebo (moderate certainty).
Tiotropium showed no clear difference in number of patients with one or more hospitalisations for any cause compared with placebo (moderate certainty).
Tiotropium showed no clear difference in mortality compared with placebo (moderate certainty).
Combined inhalers probably leads to lower annual exacerbation rates compared with placebo (primary outcomes) (moderate certainty).
Budesonide/formoterol (BDF) showed no clear difference in adverse events—'serious'—320/94 Duration of 10 months3 compared with placebo (low certainty).
Budesonide/formoterol (BDF) showed no clear difference in adverse events—'serious'—160/94 Duration of nine months 3 compared with placebo (low certainty).
Combined inhalers probably leads to lower participants with at least one exacerbation Duration of six months3 compared with placebo (primary outcomes) (moderate certainty).
Combined inhalers probably leads to lower mortality Duration of 18 months3 compared with placebo (primary outcomes) (moderate certainty).
Combined inhalers probably leads to higher pneumonia Duration of 18 months3 compared with placebo (primary outcomes) (moderate certainty).
Combined inhalers showed no clear difference in hospitalisations due to COPD exacerbations Duration of 18 months3 compared with placebo (primary outcomes) (low certainty).
Fluticasone/salmeterol (FPS) showed no clear difference in adverse events—any Duration of two years1 compared with placebo (low certainty).