Elevated markers of systemic and pulmonary inflammation are associated with failure to recover lung function following pulmonary exacerbations (PExs) in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). Our aim was to determine whether adjuvant oral prednisone treatment would improve recovery of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (ppFEV) in CF PExs not responding to antibiotic therapy.

This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in pwCF treated with intravenous (IV) antibiotics for a PEx. At Day 7, those who had not returned to >90% baseline ppFEV were randomized to adjuvant prednisone 1 mg·kg twice daily (max 60 mg/day) or placebo for 7 days. The primary outcome was the difference in proportion of subjects who recovered >90% baseline ppFEV at Day 14 of IV antibiotic therapy.

173 subjects were enrolled, with 76 randomized. 50% of subjects in the prednisone group recovered baseline FEV on Day 14 compared to 39% of subjects in the placebo group for a difference of 11% (95% CI -11, 34%, p=0.34). The mean (sd) change in ppFEV from Day 7 to Day 14 was 6.8% predicted (8.8) in the prednisone group and 4.6% (6.9) in the placebo group (mean difference 2.2% predicted 95% CI -1.5, 5.9%, p=0.24). Time to subsequent exacerbation was not prolonged in prednisone treated subjects (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.45, 1.53; p=0.54).

This study failed to detect a difference in ppFEV recovery between adjuvant oral prednisone and placebo treatment in pwCF not responding at day 7 of IV antibiotic therapy for PExs.