What may increase your risk for problems from your arm symptoms?

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What may increase your risk for problems from your arm symptoms?

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 doctor.

Conditions

• Brace, cast, or splint use, which may increase the chances of damaging nerves or restricting blood flow
• History of a blood clot in the arm
• Pregnancy
• A problem or condition present since birth (congenital defect)
• Previous injury to the arm
• Previous surgery to the arm or to the lymph nodes in the armpit
• Surgery to remove the spleen

Lifestyle choices

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

Medicines

• Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medicines such as water pills, antipsychotic medicines, antinausea medicines, estrogens, birth control pills, or nifedipine
• Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Radiation therapy to the arm or to the lymph nodes above the arm

Diseases

• Arthritis
• Bleeding disorders such as hemophilia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), or von Willebrand's disease
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Inherited bone disease
• Kidney disease
• Lupus
• Lyme disease
• Malnutrition or an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa
• Multiple sclerosis
• Osteomyelitis
• Osteoporosis
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Septic bursitis
• Sickle cell disease

Credits

Last updated:	July 28, 2008
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer