Symptoms:

• Cough that produces mucus - may be streaked with blood
• Fatigue
• Frequent respiratory infections
• Headaches
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea) that gets worse with mild activity
• Swelling of the ankles, feet, or legs, which affects both sides
• Wheezing

Some people may have few or no symptoms.

Signs and tests:

The health care provider make hear wheezing or abnormal breathing sounds when listening to the chest and lungs with a stethoscope. However, lung sounds can be normal during the exam.

In severe cases, a person with COPD can seem anxious and may breathe through pursed lips (the shape lips make when you whistle).

During a flare up, the muscles between the ribs contract while the person is breathing in. This is called intercostal retractions. The person will use other muscles to breathe. The number of breaths per minute (respiratory rate) may be high.

The best test for COPD is lung function testing.

A chest x-ray may show that the lung is expanding too much. A chest CT scan may reveal emphysema.

A sample of blood taken from an artery (arterial blood gas) can show low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide (respiratory acidosis).