13 Symptoms That You Could Have COPD

4. Can’t Take a Deep Breath

Aside from wheezing or difficulty breathing, another symptom of COPD is the inability to take a deep breath. There are a number of causes for this, including asthma, obesity, pulmonary fibrosis, and respiratory tract infection, just to name a few. But when it comes to COPD, it’s normally because patients with COPD also have emphysema or bronchitis, or worse, they have both. While emphysema destroys the walls in between the air sacs in the lungs, this also makes it harder to provide enough oxygen to the body. While with bronchitis, it irritates and inflames the lining of the airways, causing excess phlegm and mucus, clogging the airways and making it harder to breathe. Even if you don’t have COPD, difficulty taking a deep breath should always be checked out immediately as it is a sign of other serious medical conditions.