What may increase your risk for problems from symptoms of confusion, memory loss, or altered alertness?

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 older than 60
• Cold temperature exposure (hypothermia)
• Dehydration
• Heatstroke
• History of irregular heartbeat
• History of transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke
• Personal or family history of a mental health problem, such as depression or schizophrenia
• Recent head injury
• Recent surgery of the head, brain, neck, heart, or blood vessels

Lifestyle choices

• Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
• Drug abuse or withdrawal
• Occupational exposure to toxins such as fumes, heavy metals, solvents, or pesticides

Medications

• Chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medications to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Recently started a new medication, changed the dosage of a medication, or have suddenly stopped taking a medication

Diseases

• Adrenal disease
• Alzheimer's disease
• Cancer
• Diabetes or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
• Heart disease, such as coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, or heart failure
• High blood pressure
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Hydrocephalus
• Kidney failure
• Liver failure
• Lung disease, such as severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema
• Lupus
• Mental illness, such as schizophrenia or depression
• Multiple sclerosis
• Nutritional deficiency of vitamins B12, B1, or niacin
• Parkinson's disease
• Seizure disorder
• Stroke
• Thyroid disease, such as low thyroid (hypothyroidism) or high thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome