Randomization and blinding
Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to receive either 50 mg of prednisone or placebo daily for 7 days. Randomisation was done with variable block sizes of four to six and patients were stratified at the time of study entry by study centre. Allocation was concealed with a prespecified computer-generated randomisation list, which was centrally kept at the pharmacy of the main study centre. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a prepared set of study medication that contained seven tablets of 50 mg prednisone or placebo. The placebo drug was purchased from a local prednisone manufacturer (Galepharm AG, Küsnacht, Switzerland), which produces both prednisone and its corresponding placebo. The drugs were prepared before the initiation of the study and packed into identical containers by the Pharmacology Department, University Hospital, Basel, according to the randomisation list. Patients, treating physicians, investigators, and data assessors were blinded to treatment allocation until day 30 [