What may increase your risk of problems from gas, bloating, or burping?

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

• Drinking untreated well, stream, or lake water
• History of a head injury
• History of a mental health problem
• History of panic or anxiety disorders
• History of pelvic or abdominal surgery
• Recent travel outside the United States
• Surgery to remove the spleen

Lifestyle choices

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

Medicines

• Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
• Medicines to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
• Radiation therapy

Diseases

• Blocked intestine (intestinal obstruction)
• Cancer of the colon or rectum
• Cancer of the stomach or esophagus
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Diabetes
• Diverticulosis
• Gallbladder problems
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Heart disease or risk factors for heart disease
• Hiatal hernia
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Neurologic disease
• Ovarian cancer
• Parasitic infection, such as amebiasis, worms, or giardiasis
• Sickle cell disease
• Stomach ulcer
• Thyroid disease