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 knee symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to tell your doctor.

Conditions

• A problem or condition present since birth (congenital defect)
• Previous knee injury
• Previous surgery to knee area
• Being a woman. Women have a higher risk for knee injuries than men.

Lifestyle choices

• A job or hobby that requires kneeling, such as roofing, carpet laying, or surfing
• Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
• Drug abuse or withdrawal
• Smoking or other tobacco use

Medicines

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

Diseases

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• Gonorrhea
• Gout
• Hemophilia
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
• Infectious arthritis
• Inherited bone disease
• Kidney disease
• Lupus
• Lyme disease
• Malnutrition or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
• Multiple sclerosis
• Obesity
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteomyelitis
• Osteoporosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Septic bursitis