{"id":2836,"date":"2019-01-17T05:58:39","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T05:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=2836"},"modified":"2021-11-10T15:25:25","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T15:25:25","slug":"12-general-copd-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/12-general-copd-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"12 General COPD Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to research published by the CDC, over 15-million Americans suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD.) Affected individuals experience breathing difficulties as they battle with the gaseous exchange in the lungs. In some instances, people living with the advanced stages of COPD require oxygen treatment throughout the day, and the disease may prove to be fatal in many cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millions of Americans may be living with this chronic disease, and not be aware of their condition. COPD progresses gradually over time, and many people don\u2019t notice the symptoms until COPD enters the advanced stage. COPD has no cure, but early diagnosis and treatment can halt the progression of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Losing your ability to breathe normally dramatically reduces your quality of life. Read through this list of eight general COPD symptoms, and if you spot any of them occurring in your life, visit your doctor for a consultation and diagnosis.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.    Shortness of Breath<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This symptom is the hallmark of COPD. Shortness of breath is common for many people, and it\u2019s not a direct sign of COPD. Some individuals may find themselves winded after walking up a flight of stairs. However, this may be because they\u2019re unfit and out of shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you find yourself short of breath or wheezing during normal activities where you had no issues before, it may be a warning sign of COPD. It\u2019s vital that you note any symptoms of shortness of breath when you\u2019re inactive. Being unable to catch your breath while sitting on the couch is an excellent example of shortness of breath induced by COPD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience anything similar, speak to your doctor immediately. Your physician will run a battery of tests to determine your lung capacity and VO2 max. The results of the test will indicate the health of your lungs <\/a>and cardiovascular system and identify any signs of COPD.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2.    Changes in Mucus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We all cough up some mucus <\/a>from time to time, it\u2019s a natural response to clear your throat. Your lungs produce mucus to lubricate the bronchial airways in your lungs. However, individuals suffering from COPD experience a thickening of this mucus, which obstructs the airways, leading to a \u201cpopping\u201d or wheezing sound when they breathe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients with COPD find they need to cough up mucus frequently throughout the day. If you\u2019re one of these individuals, take a minute to analyze your sputum after your next cough. Healthy people have clear mucus, sometimes featuring a yellowish tinge. However, people living with COPD find that their mucus turns a darker color and thickens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your mucus shows signs of dark brown or green patches, you could be suffering from a bacterial, fungal, or viral infection. Individuals with COPD pool mucus in the lungs, making it an ideal breeding ground for these biological threats to your health.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3.    Persistent Coughing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Coughing <\/a>is a natural reflex to clear the throat and lungs of irritants, particles, and mucus. Healthy individuals rarely cough, except in situations where environmental factors, such as pollen or smoke, enter the airways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individuals suffering from COPD experience a regular cough throughout the day. If you notice that you cough the first moment after waking up, it\u2019s your lungs clearing the mucus they accumulated overnight. As the disease progresses, affected individuals find they wake up in the middle of the night to cough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individuals suffering from the disease will notice they have a persistent feeling of mucus building in the lungs that inspires them to clear their throats regularly. Another frequently reported coughing symptom is the feeling of a tickle at the back of the throat as mucus builds. If you\u2019ve noticed an increase in the frequency of coughing, arrange a consultation with your doctor to assess your health and look for signs of COPD.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4.    Waking Up with a Headache<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

COPD affects your quality of life and reduces the efficiency of normal biological functions, such as sleeping. Many people suffering from COPD mention that they wake up in the morning with a headache<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sign of COPD deserves your immediate attention. The reason for a headache comes from your lung’s inability to absorb oxygen efficiently as you sleep. When starved of oxygen, the brain is unable to complete vital processes, such as clearing the toxins accumulated in neural pathways during the day. The impaired gaseous exchange in the lungs means that your body cannot remove CO2 efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of the drop in your lung’s efficiency at processing air, you end up with a morning headache. Individuals experiencing this symptom require oxygen overnight. A C-PAP machine or oxygen tank helps to remedy the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waking up lightheaded is another symptom of COPD caused by the same issue of the lungs not receiving the air they need to enrich the blood with oxygen.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

5.    Sleeping Issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People suffering from COPD symptoms find it challenging to get a good night\u2019s sleep. The mucus buildup throughout the night creates blockages in the air passageways, forcing you to wake up to cough. It\u2019s common for COPD sufferers to experience violent bouts of coughing after waking, making it harder to fall asleep again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lack of oxygen <\/a>may also play a role in bouts of sleeplessness. When the body doesn\u2019t receive the oxygen it needs, it may wake you violently during your sleep. This condition is known as \u201csleep apnea,\u201d and requires a C-PAP machine to increase oxygen flow.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People suffering from COPD may find that they tend to prefer dozing off in their armchair, rather than the bed. When these individuals finally do decide to get in-between the sheets, they may find that they require extra pillows to keep their heads up and help their breathing. Lying flat causes the mucus to spread over a broader surface area of the lungs, increasing coughing symptoms.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

6.    Constant Fatigue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you wake up feeling tired? Does it take all of your energy to make it through the day? People suffering from COPD find they experience a constant feeling of fatigue <\/a>throughout the waking hours of the day. If you feel you\u2019re tired all of the time, and cough persistently, you may be suffering from the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our blood carries the oxygen we breathe to our muscular and nervous systems and allows the brain to function optimally. Individuals with COPD don\u2019t get enough oxygen into their blood due to damage to the airways of the lung, inhibiting its ability to draw in oxygen and expel CO2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, people suffering from the disease find they have diminished levels of energy that you can’t cure with a cup of coffee. If you start to experience signs of fatigue that you can\u2019t shake, visit your doctor for a consultation and diagnosis.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

7.    Unexplained Weight Loss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some individuals suffering from COPD find that they start to lose weight. Unexplained weight loss could be a symptom of the disease. Medical professionals speculate that the extra effort undertaken by the body during breathing may burn as much as 10-times the amount of calories used for normal breathing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This statistic may seem like a tremendous amount of energy to spend on breathing, but if you sit back and count your breaths per minute, you\u2019ll notice that your lungs work a lot during the day. Increasing the energy requirement for this biological function takes its toll on your body, and you require more calories <\/a>to meet the energy demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individuals suffering from COPD may experience a loss of appetite. The math is pretty straightforward \u2013 more calories burned, combined with fewer calories consumed equates to eventual weight loss. Keep track of your morning weight and if you notice signs of weight loss in conjunction with other COPD symptoms, get yourself checked out by a medical professional.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

8.    Swollen Ankles
<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When we think of COPD symptoms, we think of signs that our lungs and airways aren\u2019t working efficiently. However, you may be surprised to learn that COPD symptoms affect other areas of the body, including the limbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you experiencing any of the symptoms listed so far in this article? If you have one or more of the signs of COPD, along with swollen ankles, you could be in the advanced stages of the disease. A lack of oxygen affects the joints and limbs as well as the brain and nervous system<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your bloodstream isn\u2019t receiving the oxygen, the heart works harder to pump blood around the body. As a result, the additional strain causes fluid buildup around your ankles, and sometimes your wrists or knees as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

COPD is a serious condition that requires immediate treatment and lifestyle changes. The majority of people diagnosed with the disease are cigarette smokers. Assess your current lifestyle and make the changes you need to increase your quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

9. Trouble Taking Deep Breaths<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

COPD causes an expansion of the lungs as they lose elasticity. As the lungs grow in volume and size, you would expect people living with COPD to get more air. However, the converse is true, and COPD patients often experience shortness of breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with shortness of breath, most patients find it challenging to take a deep breath. When they breathe in deeply, they may experience a rasping or crackling sound due to the additional mucus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the excess mucus, the affected individual finds they experience a choking reaction or coughing reflex when they breathe deeply. Therefore, patients may avoid breathing deeply or doing exercise<\/a> that causes them to breathe deeply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COPD causes an increase in mucus in the patient, and this mucus blocks up the airways and alveoli, causing congestion in your lungs. Patients with congested lungs find it hard to breathe deeply due to mucus causing choking and coughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

10. Blue Lips and Fingernail Beds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People living with COPD find they don’t get enough oxygen into their bloodstream<\/a>. As the lungs lose elasticity and experience inflammation, the affected individual experiences a drop in the gaseous exchange’s efficiency in the alveoli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, the patient starts to experience the signs of oxygen deprivation. We already covered how fatigue and lightheadedness are signs of COPD and how it affects the blood oxygen level in patients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the symptoms of oxygen deprivation and low blood oxygen levels show up in various forms. One of the signs of the disease’s advanced stage is a discoloration of the lips and fingernail beds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As oxygen levels get low in the blood, it causes less blood to reach the affected individual’s extremities. When the extremities start to lose oxygenated blood flow, they begin to turn blue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, patients with COPD might find they start to notice blue colors appearing in their fingernail beds and lips as oxygen struggles to circulate in the bloodstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

11. Rosacea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rosacea <\/a>is a common skin condition occurring in Celtic and English people. The affected individual typically notices a reddening in the skin around the sinus. This reddening is completely normal and varies in intensity from person to person, depending on their genetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, certain activities like drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco can increase the rosacea’s intensity in affected individuals. Smokers may find that the rosacea starts to intensify as the symptoms of COPD progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosacea looks like an inflammation of the blood capillaries around the sinus, with tiny veins turning a dark red color, providing the skin’s reddening effect. Science is unclear about the biological mechanism that causes the condition. However, increased symptoms of rosacea are a sign of low blood oxygen levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After quitting smoking cigarettes, many people with rosacea find the reddening symptoms start to decline. In most cases, affected individuals will notice a marked daily decline in redness and rosacea symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

12. Frequent Respiratory Infections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People living with the effects of COPD in their lives find they experience more respiratory infections than others. COPD creates a massive amount of inflammation <\/a>in the lungs, reducing the immune system’s efficacy and function. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your immune system drops, you become at risk of catching viral and bacterial infections. Since the cilia in smokers’ lungs are non-existent, the affected individual loses the efficacy of the lungs being able to filter out the harmful particles in the air we breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the lungs are in an inflamed and sickened state with COPD, it’s harder to fight off an infection. The immune system relies on oxygenated blood cells to help it fight off disease and create anti-bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, people with COPD find their weakened immune system struggles to kick out pathogenic invaders from their bodies. As a result, they experience more respiratory infections, and they also receive harsher symptoms and longer recovery from disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

<\/div>