Is it my statins that make me wheezy at night? DR MARTIN SCURR answers your health questions –

For several months I have been experiencing a mild wheezing at night that is affecting my sleep. A nurse said I had a stuffy nose and gave me a nasal spray. As long as I don’t lie down during the day, I’m fine. Could it be the statins?

Cherry Green, Aylsham, Norfolk.

Wheezing is often a symptom of asthma, an inflammatory condition that affects the airways. Other symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath, but not everyone with asthma experiences them.

This condition is usually caused by an allergy and is linked to allergic rhinitis, which causes nasal congestion.

I recently saw an asthma patient who had exactly your pattern of symptoms: mild during the day and much worse at night.

She said the newly acquired family cat often sleeps on her pillow. It turned out he was allergic to cat hair. Other common allergy triggers include dust mites, lint, and certain household chemicals.

The simplest way to check for asthma is with a peak flow test, in which you breathe as hard as you can into a peak flow meter, essentially a plastic tube with a mouthpiece. This measures the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR).

Normal PEFR for women is between 320 and 470 liters per minute but varies with body size.

It is important whether there is a difference between day and night rates. I expect nighttime readings to be significantly lower. If so, a nurse or primary care physician will do more detailed lung function checks and prescribe medication if asthma.

The rhinoceros juice spray given to you (say it in your longest letter) is a steroid and is supposed to suppress rhinitis and possibly reduce inflammation in the airways.

But asthma requires more consistent control than that with preventative medication. So I think you should see your nurse or GP again and ask for a peak flow meter to check your PEFR yourself (they will calculate what your height and age should be).

As for your suggestion that wheezing could be related to your statin, this is not a known side effect. In fact, statins are thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect, so they may improve these asthma-related symptoms.

I have had fibrous bumps on both my arms and legs for many years. These are not only ugly, they can be sensitive sometimes, but doctors don’t care about them. My sister also complained of these swellings. I am 80 years old this year.

Denise Tabert, Valley of Glamorgan.

According to your description, there may be a condition called Dercum’s disease that may be familiar.

This condition is characterized by multiple fatty lumps known as lipomas that form mainly on the arms and thighs and can range from the size of a pea to the size of a tennis ball.

While harmless, these lumps can be tender (but discomfort may come and go).

Dercum’s disease is relatively rare, but affects more women than men, probably because women have a more widespread distribution of body fat under the skin than men, where it is found primarily in the space behind the abdominal wall.

The only “cure” is surgery to remove them. However, this is generally not recommended unless the lipomas are particularly large or unsightly or the lump hits a nerve.

My advice is to accept them and live with them rather than having surgery which may be seen as unnecessary given the current pressures on the NHS.

write to scer

Write to Dr Scurr at Good Health, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email drmartin@dailymail.co.uk – include your contact details. Dr. Scurr cannot access personal communications. Answers should be taken in a general context and always consult your doctor if you have any health concerns.

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