Excessive Cough
People with emphysema often experience chronic or long-term cough. It would be non-productive without sputum or productive with sputum. The condition tends to start out quite mild but gradually increases in its severity when it progresses. You would have excessive coughing in the morning. Sometimes, there might be a small amount of yellow or clear mucus because emphysema would result in increased production of mucus. Smoking, the main cause of emphysema, can be attributed to this symptom. It paralyzes the small hairs or cilia in your airways and triggers mucus. Thus, coughing is a way of clearing these substances in your lungs for easy breathing. [3]
