The experts SELF spoke with generally pay close attention to frequent cases of pneumonia and other lung infections, bronchitis and other upper respiratory infections, sinus infections, ear infections, urinary tract infections, and yeast infections.
For an adult, one bout of pneumonia “wouldn’t automatically prompt a work-up,” Juan Salazar, MD, MPH, an infectious disease specialist and the physician in chief at Connecticut Children’s, tells SELF. But if you have two recent, well-documented lung infections, “that is more concerning.”
Plus, certain types, like ear infections, are much more common in kids, Yasmin West Khan, MD, an assistant professor of pediatric allergy, immunology, and pulmonary medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells SELF. Your doctor will probably start to ask questions if you’re dealing with one as an adult at least twice a year.5
Of course, all of these things can make you feel really unwell. Experts say, depending on your specific infection, you may deal with typical cold and flu symptoms like a cough, fever, or body aches; digestion problems like cramping, nausea, or diarrhea; pain; sudden weight loss; and fatigue. These symptoms, among many others, can stem from the infections directly or from the frequent need to take certain medications like antibiotics, according to Kara Wada, MD, an allergist and immunologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Being sick a lot also affects your ability to regularly go to school or work, take care of your family or yourself, tend to your relationships, and just live your everyday life, Dr. Jackson says.6 All of this can understandably take an emotional toll, triggering feelings like stress, irritability, sadness, and anxiety.
What are some causes of recurrent infections?
Certain habits can increase your chances of getting sick more frequently, including smoking cigarettes, not getting enough sleep, and not managing heavy or chronic stress—but these factors won’t directly cause recurrent infections.
To start, your anatomy could potentially be to blame. For example, research shows that having a “structural” problem like a deviated septum (a displacement of the wall of cartilage and bone between your nostrils) can cause trouble in your nasal passages and open you up to more frequent sinus infections.7,8
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