In a study of 87 patients with COPD, published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, found that having the annual flu vaccine reduced overall problems by more than two-thirds. For patients with severe COPD, the incidence of additional respiratory problems fell by three-quarters.

"COPD is a serious lung disease that causes breathing problems and is responsible for a significant number of outpatient and emergency department visits as well as inpatient hospital stays," study lead author Dr. Balakrishnan Menon of the University of Delhi said in a statement.

"Our study was undertaken in a population where uptake of the vaccine is traditionally low and it had a marked effect on the men who received it. This could also explain why our 67 percent reduction was higher than the 32 percent to 45 percent falls reported by previous studies carried out in populations where the vaccine is more common."

The study monitored patients who had never previously received the flu vaccine -- average age of just under 65 -- for a year before and after they received the vaccine.