Chest Tightness
This symptom is different from having a difficulty breathing. While chest tightness is not solely a symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it is common. Accompanied by shortness of breath, chest tightness describes the sensation people feel when they cannot inhale or exhale deeply enough to feel as if they are truly taking a breath.
The tightness might feel like pressure or taut muscles. Sometimes, the chest tightness stems from a lung infection. Since this can be painful, deep breathing might hurt and thus respirations become shorter and more shallow—which can worsen the sensation of air hunger.
