Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, affects 12 million Americans, according to the Merck Manual, and is the second most common cause of death. COPD also runs second only to heart disease as a cause of disability that affects people severely enough to have to stop working. COPD, a decrease in air exhaled from the lungs, includes both emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis. Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of COPD. Symptoms, which worsen over time, vary with the type of disease.
Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath may occur when a person exerts himself in the early stages of COPD. In the early stages, shortness of breath may occur only with lung infections, states the Merck Manual. As the disease progresses, shortness of breath occurs even with activities of daily living, such as getting dressed or during sex. The incidence of lung infections increases, resulting in severe shortness of breath even at rest. Extreme shortness of breath accompanied by sudden pain may indicate pneumothorax, collapse of the lung from rupture of fragile areas of the lungs, reports the Merck Manual.
Acute respiratory failure from exacerbations of the disease can also cause extreme shortness of breath along with anxiety and a feeling of drowning. Both emphysema and chronic bronchitis cause shortness of breath, according to MayoClinic.com.
Excess Fluid
People with COPD often accumulate extra fluid in their ankles, feet and legs due to cor pulmonale, or right-sided heart failure. Fluid can also collect in the abdomen, compressing the lungs and increasing shortness of breath. Cor pulmonale results from the increased pressure in the arteries in the lungs from damage to the lungs from COPD. The right ventricle of the heart enlarges and pumps less efficiently, causing fluid to backup in the lower extremities. In addition to excess fluid build-up, heart arrhythmias and liver enlargement often occur in cor pulmonale, says the Merck Manual.
Frequent Respiratory Infections
People with COPD have an increased incidence of respiratory infections, including colds, flu and pneumonia. Because respiratory infections increase damage to the lungs, people with COPD should discuss getting flu and pneumonia vaccinations yearly with their physician, MayoClinic.com suggests.
Cough
The cough from COPD first begins in the morning, when a person feels the need to clear the throat, states MayoCinic.com. As the disease progresses, clear sputum may turn yellow or green, and may be blood tinged.
Morning Headache
Headaches caused by carbon dioxide retention may occur in people with COPD upon wakening because of decreased breathing efforts in the night, according to the Merck Manual.
