Focus on influenza vaccination in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Influenza vaccination has been shown to reduce lower airway infections requiring hospitalization, and reduce mortality and exacerbation frequency in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), and therefore is recommended for all COPD patients by guidelines. However, the coverage of influenza vaccination in Chinese COPD patients is far from satisfactory. The large-scale COVID-19 vaccination may have a positive impact on the attitude towards influenza vaccines, and healthcare professionals should take active measures to improve the rate of influenza vaccination in patients with COPD.