Influenza infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cases often leads to acute exacerbation and serious complications in patients. However, clinical features to predict influenza positivity weren’t clearly defined so far. Since indiscriminately prescribing tests in all AECOPD for influenza PCR positivity implies cost, and early intervention (within 12 hours) is essential to save life, clinical features to predict the same at the earliest is crucial.  A recent study by a team of researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, found that higher temperature and heart rate, low white cell count and non-eosinophilic exacerbations are independent predictors of influenza positivity in AECOPD cases. The researchers said in the report, published in International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, that they established these findings through a retrospective study of 925 AECOPD cases between Jan 2016 to June 2017, and found that there were no differences in blood pressure, oxygen status, neutrophil or lymphocyte counts, C reactive protein, procalcitonin or chest X-ray consolidation between groups.