• Chronic cough: Cough is usually the first symptom to develop in COPD. When cough is present for more than 3 months in a year for 2 successive years, it indicates Chronic Bronchitis. Cough is productive with white, yellow or even green mucus. There could be frequent urge to spit or hack to clear the throat.
• Breathlessness: Shortness of breath is initially experienced only after physical exertion like climbing stairs. But with progress of the disease, it eventually becomes frequent.
• Abnormal sounds: Wheezing is an abnormal whistling sound due to difficult respiration. Rattling is the noise made by the air while it passes through the collected mucus which the lungs are unable to expel. This is one of the important symptoms of COPD.
• Heaviness or tightness of chest: It is not necessarily an indicator of COPD, but may be present along with other symptoms of COPD.
• Respiratory infections: Due to the compromised condition of the lungs and weakened immune system, chest infections due to viruses and bacteria tend to be frequent. Such infections may take longer to resolve than usual.
• Other: Symptoms like chest pain, weight loss, tiredness and ankle swelling may also occur along with symptoms of COPD.