Steroids are hormones that occur naturally in the body. Steroid medicines are man-made and are similar to the natural hormones made in the body. An acute exacerbation is more commonly known bey a 'flare-up'. An acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a sudden worsening of COPD symptoms https://escatter11.fullerton.edu/nfs/show_user.php?userid=7325406