Prednisolone therapy , as compared with placebo , was associated with significant reductions in the incidence of constrictive pericarditis ( 4.4 % vs. 7.8 % ; hazard ratio , 0.56 ; 95 % CI , 0.36 to 0.87 ; P = 0.009 ) and hospitalization ( 20.7 % vs. 25.2 % ; hazard ratio , 0.79 ; 95 % CI , 0.63 to 0.99 ; P = 0.04 ) .