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

• A problem or condition that has been present since birth (congenital defect)
• Previous injury
• Previous surgery to neck area

Lifestyle choices

• Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
• Drug abuse or withdrawal
• Smoking or other tobacco use
• Sports activities, such as:
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Contact sports, such as football
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Trapshooting or skeet
  • Weight lifting
  • Wrestling

Medicines

• Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Radiation therapy

Diseases

• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Down syndrome
• Hemophilia
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
• Inherited bone disease
• Kidney disease
• Lupus
• Malnutrition or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
• Multiple sclerosis
• Osteomyelitis
• Osteoporosis
• Scoliosis or curvature of the spine