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

• Heart valve disease
• Heart valve replacement
• Previous dental injuries
• Previous dental or gum surgery
• Radiation therapy to the mouth, face, or neck (now or in the past)
• Surgery to remove the spleen

Lifestyle choices

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

Medicines

• Antiseizure medicines, such as phenytoin
• Birth control pills (oral contraceptives)
• Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin
• Calcium channel blockers, which are used to control high blood pressure or for people with heart problems
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medicines that contain gold
• Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen

Diseases

• Cancer
• Crohn's disease
• Dental disease, such as tooth decay or gum disease
• Diabetes
• Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Hemophilia
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
• Infection of the muscles and valves of the heart (endocarditis)
• Iron deficiency anemia
• Malabsorption syndromes
• Scleroderma
• Sickle cell disease
• Sjögren's syndrome
• Vitamin deficiencies, such as too little folate, niacin, pyridoxine, riboflavin, vitamin C, and vitamin K