COPD is a life-threatening lung disease that is usually caused by exposure to tobacco smoke, either as a smoker or through second-hand smoke – the smoke causes irreparable damage to the lungs. More than 60 million people worldwide have COPD and it causes around 3 million deaths every year.
COPD cannot be cured and the symptoms are particularly debilitating, including breathlessness, excess mucus and a chronic cough. Daily activities, such as walking or lifting, become a problem as the condition progresses and the lungs degenerate further.
Many patients with COPD are aged over 65 and that as well as their condition puts them at greater risk of flu because of poor lung function. When a COPD patient gets flu, their COPD symptoms are exacerbated and they are then at further risk of developing more serious conditions such as pneumonia.
Getting the flu vaccine can reduce those risks – studies have shown that the flu vaccine can cut the rate of hospitalisation for COPD patients by 52% and the death rate by 70%. Vaccination also reduces the spread of flu, too, bringing greater benefits to the wider community.
There are some side effects from the flu vaccine, such as mild fever, muscle ache and tenderness around the site of the injection. As well as COPD patients, the flu vaccine is recommended for young children, the elderly and those who have a chronic long-term condition such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease or diabetes.
An annual flu vaccination will generally protect you against the three influenza viruses that are predicted to be the most common in that year.