Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and influenza vaccination effect in preventing outpatient and inpatient influenza cases

Evidence of influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing confirmed influenza among persons diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is scarce. We assessed the average effect of influenza vaccination in the current and prior seasons in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza in COPD patients. We carried out a pooled test-negative case–control design in COPD patients hospitalized or presented to primary healthcare centres with influenza-like illness who were tested for influenza in 2015/2016 to 2019/2020 seasons in Navarre, Spain. Influenza vaccination status in the current and 5 prior seasons was compared between confirmed-influenza cases and test-negative controls. Vaccination effect was compared between target patients for vaccination with and without COPD. Out of 1761 COPD patients tested, 542 (31%) were confirmed for influenza and 1219 were test-negative controls. Average effect for current-season vaccination in preventing influenza was 40% (95% CI 20–54%), and for vaccination in prior seasons only was 24% (95% CI –10 to 47%). Point estimates seemed higher in preventing outpatient cases (60% and 58%, respectively) than inpatient cases (37% and 19%, respectively), but differences were no statistically significant. Influenza vaccination effect was similar in target population with and without COPD (p = 0.339). Influenza vaccination coverage in control patients with COPD was 68.3%. A 13.7% of the influenza cases in patients with COPD could be prevented by extending the influenza vaccine coverage. Average effect of current-season influenza vaccination was moderate to prevent influenza in COPD persons. The increase of influenza vaccination coverage can still prevent COPD exacerbations.