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Getting infections often
Category: General & Whole-Body Symptoms · All general symptoms
What it can feel like
Getting infections often means repeated colds that turn into chest infections, repeated urine infections, boils, thrush or sinus trouble that keep coming back. Occasional infections are part of life; a clear pattern of frequent or unusually severe infections deserves a look at why.
Possible causes
A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.
Common causes
Frequent infections can be associated with exposure — young children at nursery, crowded workplaces, smoking, poorly controlled asthma or diabetes — and with infections that were never fully cleared, such as a lingering urine or sinus infection.
Other possible causes
A pattern of recurrent or unusual infections can be associated with a weakened immune system, which may relate to medicines such as steroids or immune-suppressing drugs, to blood conditions, or, less commonly, to inherited immune problems.
Red flags — when to seek help promptly
- Infections that are unusually severe, need hospital treatment, or do not respond to usual antibiotics
- Recurrent infections together with weight loss, night sweats or swollen glands
- Thrush or other fungal infections appearing without an obvious reason
- A child whose infections affect growth or come with failure to thrive
What a clinician may do
A clinician will take a detailed infection history — sites, frequency, severity, treatments — and examine you. Blood tests usually include a blood count and immune protein levels; diabetes testing and review of your medicines are part of the picture, with referral to immunology if the pattern suggests it.
Watch: related videos
Examination and clinical videos from the MedicalVideos.com library relevant to this symptom. Some clinical footage is graphic — that is the nature of a medical video library.
Related guides on MedicalVideos.com
Frequently asked questions
How many infections a year is too many?
There is no fixed number — young children can have eight or more colds a year normally. The pattern matters more: infections that are severe, in unusual places, need repeated antibiotics, or arrive with weight loss or poor growth deserve investigation at any count.
Can lifestyle make infections more likely?
Yes — smoking, heavy alcohol use, poor sleep and uncontrolled diabetes all blunt the immune system. Your clinician will usually explore these alongside blood tests, because fixing them is part of the treatment.
Related symptoms — General & Whole-Body Symptoms
Browse the G section of the A–Z list or return to the Symptoms A–Z hub.