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A careful patient history can help your health care provider diagnose COPD as well as to rule-out other conditions that may be responsible for your symptoms. During the patient history the health care provider will carefully question the patient about the following:

• What symptoms are you experiencing and how long have they been present?
• Are you a current smoker?
• How often do you smoke?
• How many cigarettes do you smoke in a day?
• If you are not a current smoker, have you ever smoked in the past?
• Do you have asthma?
• Do you frequently get respiratory tract infections?
• Do you exercise regularly?
• Do you experience any breathing problems or shortness of breath during exercise?
• Do you work in an industry where you are exposed to organic dust, chemicals, coal, grain, cadmium?

After taking a careful patient history, the health care provider will perform a physical examination to look for clinical features that are consistent with COPD:

• Cyanosis - a bluish discoloration of the skin caused by low levels of oxygen in the bloodstream
• Hyperinflated chest - an overexpanded chest
• If the breathing muscles are working properly
• Wheezing
• Diminished breath sounds

• Symptoms of cor pulmonale - failure of the right side of the heart that occurs as a result of a chronic lung problem such as COPD. Clinical indicators of cor pulmonale include:

  • swollen ankles
  • abnormal fluid accumulation in the abdomen
  • enlargement of the liver
  • distension of the veins in the neck
  • abnormal heart sounds
• Evidence of muscle atrophy (wasting)
• Significant weight loss