- COPD: dyspnea: progressive (worsens over time), increases with exertion, persistent; chronic cough (may appear sporadically and may be unproductive); chronic expectoration; the impact of risk factors in the medical history (Smoking, occupational dust pollutants and chemicals); widespread wheeze on auscultation of the chest and/or distant wheezing in the chest; family history of COPD; spirometric data confirming the presence of fixed bronchial obstruction.