During the initial stages of the disease, symptoms do not present themselves until the lungs become increasingly damaged, at which point the patient will develop a chronic cough, an accumulation of phlegm in the early mornings after waking, tiredness, a lack of energy, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, wheezing, and regular chest infections. Some sufferers may even develop additional symptoms such as chest pain, coughing up blood, and the mouth and finger nails turning purple.
As the condition worsens, patients will become so weak that their normal physical activities become a struggle and they drastically lose weight. Eventually, during the final stages of the disease, respiratory infections will become more frequent and may lead to respiratory failure or congestive heart failure.