Common Symptoms of Mild, Moderate, and Severe COPD
The following table shows the most common and revealing symptoms of mild, moderate, and severe COPD.
Mild Phase COPD:
- morning cough
- recurrent respiratory
- infections
- shortness of breath
- on vigorous exercise
- or manual labor
- symptoms may not be noticed by patient, and worsen gradually over time
Moderate Phase COPD:
- cough and sputum production, possibly with discolored sputum
- dyspnea, with or without wheeze, on moderate exertion
- because dyspnea is subjective, patient may still not perceive it as a problem
- acute worsening of symptoms associated with respiratory infections
Severe Phase COPD:
- cough and wheeze
- severe breathlessness on minimal exertion (eg, tying shoes)
- rhonchi on forced expiration
- complications associated with physiological adaptation due to chronic respiratory insufficiency
- functional residual capacity
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