Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medications, 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-related risks. Older adults have an increased risk for falls, which could cause finger, hand, or wrist injuries.
• A problem or condition present since birth (congenital defect)
• Previous similar injury
• Previous surgery to injured area
• Surgery to remove the spleen

Lifestyle choices

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

Medications

• Blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin
• Chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medications to prevent organ transplant rejection

Diseases

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