Radiation and Side Effects | Medical Algorithm

Radiation to the abdomen and pelvis may result in intestinal injury. Certain factors can increase the risk of intestinal injury.

Risk Factor	Mechanism
previous abdominal or pelvic surgery	adhesions and scarring limit the mobility of the intestine, making it more likely that a beam will affect a limited portion of the intestine
diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease	vascular occlusive disease
thin, elderly and female	more small intestine within radiation field
chemotherapy during or immediately after the radiation therapy	increased radiation sensitivity
increasing dose of radiation	dose-related injury

The risk of injury increases with:

(1) the severity of any one underlying risk factor

(2) the number of risk factors present

I would think malnutrition and other factors reducing the healing process would also favor injury.

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Risk Factors for Intestinal Injury Following Radiation Therapy