Which of the following is a hallmark feature of COPD?

• A. Prolonged expiratory phase
• B. Short inspiratory phase
• C. No cough
• D. Frequent fevers

Answer: (A)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterized by airflow limitation that worsens during expiration due to narrowed airways and loss of elastic recoil, which causes air trapping. Because exhaling becomes more difficult and slower, the expiratory phase is prolonged. This prolonged exhalation is a classic and relief-focused sign of COPD, often accompanied by use of accessory muscles and sometimes pursed-lip breathing as the patient tries to keep the airways open.

A short inspiratory phase isn’t the hallmark because the primary problem lies in pushing air out, not in taking a rapid or shortened breath in. A cough by itself can occur with COPD but is not a defining feature of the disease’s hallmark across all patients. Frequent fevers are not characteristic of COPD; fever points more to infection or acute exacerbations rather than the chronic airway obstruction that defines COPD.