Seasonal COPD

‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness …’ was John Keats’ description of the current autumn season. However, autumn does more than just ‘… fill all fruit with ripeness to the core ….’ It heralds the beginning of the peak season for COPD exacerbations. On page 919 of this issue, Wilkinson and colleagues describe the seasonal changes in airway pathogens in COPD exacerbations. They found that non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae increased the risk of COPD exacerbations from October to March. Moraxella catarrhalis, on the other hand, exerted its malign influence year-round. All this will leave respiratory physicians very little time for seasonal leisure activities such as sitting by …