Clinical trials

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a shorter course of antibiotics (7 days) works as well as the usual longer course (14 days) for adults admitted to hospital with a flare-up of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a long-term lung disease. The trial takes place at CDA Hospital Islamabad, Pakistan. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Do patients who take antibiotics for 7 days recover as well by Day 30 as patients who take them for 14 days? * Does the shorter course lead to fewer side effects and less antibiotic use, without more treatment failures, relapses or hospital readmissions? Researchers will compare a 7-day antibiotic course with the usual 14-day course to see if the shorter course is just as effective. Participants will: * Be assigned by chance (like flipping a coin) to take antibiotics for either 7 days or 14 days. Their doctor chooses which antibiotic to use. * Receive all other usual hospital care for their COPD flare-up. * Have check-ups about 3-5 days, 7 days, 14 days and 30 days after joining the trial, in hospital or by telephone, to record their symptoms, any side effects and any return to hospital. About 560 adults will take part.