What are the effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

Shortness of Breath: The short answer is shortness of breath and decreased exercise capacity - some will also develop trouble clearing secretions and chronic/repeat infections sometimes requiring hospitalizations. If COPD progresses patients can become cachetic/lose weight, suffer side effects from medications, become barrel chested or have fatigue from low oxygenation, require intubations/vent and ultimately die.

Shortness of breath: Shortness of breath, easy fatiguability, muscle weakness, chronic cough, repeated infections, lower extremity swelling, and so on.