The first signs of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in seniors often go unnoticed because they are easily mistaken for normal signs of aging or a lack of fitness. The primary initial symptoms are a persistent cough and shortness of breath during physical activity.
You're climbing a flight of stairs, and halfway up, you feel a slight tightness in your chest or a shortness of breath, or a cough that lingers longer than usual. It's easy to blame these on age, weather, or being out of shape.
In more severe COPD, edema can cause the ankles, legs, and feet to swell. The fluid retention can cause a weight gain of anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds, says Wise. This swelling is due to either pulmonary hypertension or right-sided heart failure.
Common symptoms of COPD include:
Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is lung disease that's typically associated with symptoms such as shortness of breath, it can also raise your risk for skin problems that may cause bothersome itching or rashes.
Starting Your Day With COPD
A shower can be easier to navigate than a bath. Make sure air circulates in your bathroom to remove steam, which will ease your breathing. If shower spray on your face worsens your symptoms, lower the showerhead. Sit down to wash.
In fact, asthma is the most common condition to mimic COPD.
Spirometry measures the amount of air you blow out and how fast you blow it out. The results of the test can determine if you have COPD. COPD may develop slowly but as the disease progresses symptoms often get worse. Not everyone has the same COPD symptoms.
stopping smoking – if you have COPD and you smoke, this is the most important thing you can do.
As a result, fluid leaks into the surrounding tissues, leading to swelling. Swelling associated with heart failure is usually bilateral, meaning it affects both legs symmetrically.
COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In patients who experience morning symptoms, the most common morning symptoms were coughing, shortness of breath, and sputum production [3,12,13,23] ( Figure 3 ). Wheezing and chest tightness were common as well [17,23] but were not examined in every study.
People with COPD often lose weight, which can interfere with quality of life and worsen symptoms. Eating healthy fats, dairy, and protein and incorporating nutritional shakes can help with gaining weight.
Warning Signs of Lung Disease
FDA approves GSK's Nucala in 2025
This made the drug only the second biologic approved for the lung disease, and the third new COPD therapy to gain approval in the U.S. in less than a year. Nucala is a monoclonal antibody that targets and binds to interleukin-5 (IL-5), a key messenger protein in type 2 inflammation.
Reduces harmful molecules: Metformin lowers certain chemicals linked to the ceramide pathway. These chemicals are tied to lung inflammation, COPD flare-ups, and even higher risk of death. By reducing them, metformin may lower those risks.
Blood tests can tell if you have the genetic condition called alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. Blood tests. Blood tests aren't used to diagnose COPD, but they may be used to find the cause of your symptoms or rule out other conditions.
Researchers have found that for people with COPD, the ideal temperature is 70 degrees with a humidity level of 40%. Temperatures above 90°F (32°C) can be particularly dangerous for people with COPD. You can avoid COPD exacerbations by staying indoors with air conditioning during the hottest times of the day.
Your provider will examine you and use a stethoscope to listen for wheezing or other abnormal chest sounds. Lung function and imaging tests will tell whether you have COPD and how serious it is.
Differential diagnoses. Misdiagnosis occurs in patients who also suffer from other diseases than COPD, including patients who are affected by heart failure, asthma, lung cancer, acute coronary syndrome, and ischemic heart disease.
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the two most common types of COPD. These two conditions usually occur together and can vary in severity among people with COPD.