Hirano R, et al. - In this retrospective analysis of Japanese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who visited hospital from January 2009 to August 2013, researchers determined the occurrence of pneumonia in relation to inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use. They examined these cases to obtain information regarding morbidity and mortality, ICS use, age, sex, and COPD classification. They compared patients with COPD who received ICS to those with COPD who did not receive ICS. Findings revealed that ICS might not increase the risk of pneumonia in Japanese patients with COPD. In these patients, ICS use was considered safe with respect to pneumonia. Investigating appropriate treatment in each country was recommended as there were apparent differences in lung diseases among races.