Pressroom Many of the signs of COPD are caused by the body's attempt to compensate for a damaged respiratory system.
Symptoms develop as a direct result of disease processes.
Barrel Chest One telling sign is the change in the shape of the chest, known as barrel chest. When the lungs become enlarged, the diaphragm is displaced downward and is unable to contract efficiently. These changes contribute to shortness of breath. This becomes apparent when a person with COPD tries do something with the arms raised above the head, such as changing a light bulb in a ceiling fixture, and becomes short of breath. To compensate, a person with COPD often sits leaning forward with their arms supported on a surface in front of them or on their knees.