After reading this article, you will have an opportunity to share which symptoms led to your own diagnosis of COPD
COPD symptoms can range from mild to severe, depending upon how advanced the disease. COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a lung disease characterized by a blockage or narrowing of the airways. It is an irreversible process that is usually brought on by airway irritants, such as smoking, secondhand smoke, air pollution or occupational exposure.
If present, the following COPD symptoms should alert you to visit to your doctor's office:
1. Dyspnea
Also known as shortness of breath, dyspnea is a result of air hunger that causes difficult or labored breathing. It is primarily due to a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream and is directly related to disturbances in the lungs such as with COPD.
2. Chronic cough
This type of cough is long term and doesn't seem to go away. A cough is a defense mechanism developed by the body in an attempt to clear the airways of mucus, inhaled toxic substances, foreign objects or other types of irritants. A productive cough clears mucus from the lungs, while a non-productive cough does not readily produce mucus. A cough is one of the most common symptoms of COPD.
3. Increased sputum production
Sputum, or mucus, is a substance produced from the lungs that is usually expelled by coughing or clearing of the throat. Copious amounts of sputum can be associated with inflammation or infection of the respiratory tract and may be indicative of COPD. The color and consistency of sputum that your body produces can be related to the type of COPD that you may have, and the doctor will usually ask you to describe it. Your healthcare provider may also request a sputum sample from you to help get a diagnosis.
4. Wheezing
Often described as a whistling sound heard during inhalation or exhalation, wheezing is caused by a narrowing or blockage of the airways. Oftentimes, wheezing can be so prevalent that you can hear it without the assistance of a stethoscope.5. Chest Tightness
Tightness in the chest can be described as a feeling of pressure within the chest walls that makes automated breathing difficult. Sometimes, this tightness makes deep breathing painful causing respiration to be short and shallow. Chest tightness can be due to infection of the lungs and is often associated with COPD.6. Fatigue
Different than ordinary tiredness, fatigue is a symptom that is often poorly understood and many times underreported in COPD as the focus tends to fall on more recognizable symptoms like dyspnea and chronic cough. But, because fatigue is nearly 3 times greater in those who have lung disease than in healthy people, it is an important symptom to recognize.
7. Clubbing of the Fingers
Clubbing is a sign of long-term oxygen deprivation and is associated with a wide number of diseases, COPD included. Initially, it manifests itself as sponginess of the nail bed along with loss of the nail bed angle, causing the nail bed to curve downward.
8. Hemoptysis
A symptom of both lung and heart problems, hemoptysis is defined as the coughing up of blood from the lungs that is frothy and mixed with mucus. In COPD, the most common cause is infection in the lungs. It is important to note that the amount of blood that is coughed up does not always reflect the seriousness of the cause.
9. Cyanosis
Cyanosis is described as a bluish discoloration of the skin and is a late sign of chronic oxygen deprivation in the blood. Common places for cyanosis to appear are the lips, tongue, nailbeds and earlobes.
10. Last Word About COPD Symptoms
Remember, not every person who is diagnosed with COPD will develop all of the aforementioned COPD symptoms. Additionally, not everyone who has dyspnea, increased mucus production or any other symptoms should assume they have COPD. Each person is unique and only a health care professional can confirm a diagnosis of the disease.
Still have questions about COPD symptoms? Visit About.com's Symptom Checker, a great interactive tool for more detailed information about signs and symptoms of COPD and other diseases.
Source:
Bare, B, & Smeltzer, S. (1996). Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing(8th Edition). Philidelphia, PA: Lippincott-Raven Publishers.
