What may increase your risk of a problem from alcohol and drug abuse?
Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases interfere with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for a more serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to tell your health professional.
Conditions
- Age older than 65. The effects of alcohol may be increased in older adults because of changes that occur with aging.
- Age younger than 19. Alcohol and other drugs are frequently involved in crime, high-risk sexual behavior, accidents, and injury in this age group.
- A personal or family history of alcohol or drug abuse or addiction
- An eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa
- Being female. Women are less likely to abuse alcohol than men but are more likely to have other health problems related to alcohol, such as liver disease.
- History of abuse as a child or in an intimate relationship (intimate partner abuse)
- History of suicide attempts
- Pregnancy
- Previous surgery to remove the spleen
Lifestyle choices
- Smoking or other tobacco use
- High-risk sexual behaviors:
- Unprotected intercourse without male or female condom use, except in a long-term, single-partner (monogamous) relationship
- Unprotected mouth-to-genital contact, except in a long-term monogamous relationship
- Early sexual activity, especially before age 18
- Having multiple sex partners
- Having a high-risk partner (one who has multiple sex partners or other risk factors)
- Having anal sex or a partner who does, except in a long-term, single-partner (monogamous) relationship
- Having sex with a partner who injects or has ever injected drugs.
- Exchange of sex (sex work) for drugs or money
Medicines
- Antianxiety medicines, such as diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), oxazepam (Serax), or lorazepam (Ativan)
- Antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro) or azithromycin (Zithromax)
- Antidepressant medicines, such as sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), or clomipramine (Anafranil)
- Antipsychotic medicines, such as olanzapine (Zyprexa) or risperidone (Risperdal)
- Antiseizure medicines, such as Tegretol
- Medicines that interfere with blood clotting, such as warfarin (Coumadin) or heparin
- Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
- Radiation therapy
- Steroids, such as prednisone
Diseases
- Blood disorders, such as anemia and thrombocytopenia
- Cancer or leukemia
- Coagulation abnormalities, such as idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) or von Willebrand's disease
- Coronary artery disease
- Diabetes
- Gastritis
- Heart failure
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease, especially cirrhosis or hepatitis
- Mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia
- Osteoporosis
- Pancreatitis
- Peptic ulcer disease
- Respiratory diseases, such as asthma or emphysema
- Seizure disorders, such as epilepsy
- Sickle cell disease
- Stroke
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: January 18, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine | |
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