What may increase your risk for problems from abdominal pain?

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

• Are pregnant
• Are older than age 60
• History of ectopic pregnancy
• Previous abdominal surgery
• Family history of abdominal problems

Lifestyle choices

• Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
• Drug abuse or withdrawal
• Tobacco use

Medicines

• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Radiation therapy

Diseases

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Blood vessel disease (vascular disease)
• Bowel obstruction
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Diverticulosis
• Endometriosis
• Gallbladder disease
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Ischemic bowel disease
• Kidney disease
• Kidney stone
• Liver disease
• Pancreatitis
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Sickle cell disease
• Stomach ulcers