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 present since birth (congenital defect)
• Previous elbow injury
• Previous surgery to the area
• Surgery to remove the spleen
• A condition that affects the nerves, such as:
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Cervical disc disease
  • Cervical arthritis
• Referred pain from a problem elsewhere in the body:
  • A neck problem, such as cervical radiculopathy
  • A shoulder problem, such as arthritis of the shoulder
  • A wrist problem, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
  • A heart problem, such as coronary artery disease
  • A tumor or bone cyst near the elbow or in the arm

Lifestyle choices

• Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
• Drug abuse or withdrawal
• Smoking or other tobacco use

Medicines

• Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin, heparin, or aspirin
• Chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone or dexamethasone
• Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection

Diseases

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Gout
• Hemophilia
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
• Inherited bone disease
• Kidney disease
• Lupus
• Lyme disease
• Malnutrition or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
• Multiple sclerosis
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteomyelitis
• Osteoporosis
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Septic arthritis
• Septic bursitis
• Sickle cell disease