Via practica 5/2014

Red flags at common symptoms

Red flags is a term used in medicine in recent years to describe the indicators or signals of danger. If the common and often minor symptoms as headache, abdominal and low back pain, dyspnoe, paresthesias or syncope occure together with another well defined signs and symptoms of illness, we have to think about serious disease. Such a combination should be taken as serious warning of impeding danger. In the article are discussed red flags at headache, abdominal and low back pain, paresthesias, seizures, asthma, dyspeptic disorders, psychiatric illness, increased risk of suicide, at acoustic and visual disorders, sudden syncope and hidden signs of abuse and neglect child.

Keywords: red flags, warning symptoms, diagnostic risk.