Xu L, et al. - Since influenza may cause serious consequences during flu season in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers assessed the features of hospitalized COPD patients complicated by influenza, as well as on the factors influencing the prognosis of these patients in this retrospective analysis. They gathered demographic and clinical data for 278 patients. Higher positive fungal culture rate and the rates of antifungal drug and systemic corticosteroids use were observed among patients with influenza and COPD vs those with influenza but without COPD. Patients with influenza and COPD seemed to develop Aspergillus infection more commonly. Also, an easy progression to a severe disease state was reported for COPD complicated by influenza during the seasonal outbreak. The chance of developing influenza infection was greater among heavy smokers and patients with a prolonged COPD history.