Red Flags

This page is not a diagnosis table and is not medical advice. When an emergency is possible, call 911 or local emergency services, or go to an emergency department. Do not delay to search, ask acquaintances, or organize records.

This Page Answers One Question

Should this person enter the medical system now?

It does not decide "what disease this is," and it does not decide "whether we can tolerate it a little longer." When a signal is dangerous enough, the family's most important action is not explaining. It is getting help.

This page handles red situations only. If there is no obvious red flag but you still want to sort symptoms into next actions, use the Symptom Action Guide.

Family Short Version

You can put the following paragraph in a family chat or at the top of a family health record:

Red flags: chest pain or tightness; possible stroke signs, such as sudden facial droop, slurred speech, one-sided weakness or numbness; severe trouble breathing, such as unable to catch breath, unable to speak full sentences, or blue lips; altered consciousness, such as cannot wake up, obvious confusion, or responding very differently from usual; uncontrolled bleeding; sudden severe pain; severe allergic reaction; poisoning or serious injury; self-harm or suicide risk; pregnancy or postpartum danger signs. Do not vote in a group chat. Do not wait until tomorrow. Even if symptoms ease for a while, call 911 or local emergency services, go to an emergency department, or contact a local triage entry point first to confirm the next step.

In an emergency, do only three things:

1. Get help first: call 911 or local emergency services, or use the emergency system.
2. Record time: when symptoms started and whether they appeared suddenly.
3. Bring minimal information: key conditions, medications, allergies, and emergency contact.

Say This In 30 Seconds

When calling emergency services, emergency triage, or a hospital entry point, you do not need the full medical history first. Start with the facts that help them judge urgency:

Location:
Who: age, sex, whether pregnant/postpartum, older adult, child, or has serious underlying disease
What is happening now: chest pain / trouble breathing / cannot wake up or very confused / bleeding / fall / poisoning / self-harm risk, etc.
When it started: approximate time, sudden or gradually worsening
Current state: can they speak, breathe, stand, drink, are they getting worse
Important background: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer treatment, anticoagulants, allergies

When dispatch, emergency triage, or the hospital entry point gives instructions, follow the local process. Do not hang up, wait for family replies, or continue searching in order to make the record complete.

Common Emergencies: Catch The Entry Signals First

The following is not a diagnosis list. It covers emergency entry points families commonly miss. When these signals appear, the priority is not naming the disease. It is entering emergency care quickly.

Heart Attack Or Serious Heart Event

• Look for: chest pressure, squeezing, tightness, or persistent discomfort; pain spreading to the arm, shoulder/back, neck, jaw, or upper abdomen; shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, dizziness, or no response.
• Act now: call emergency services or go to the emergency department; do not let the person drive themselves.

Stroke Or Transient Ischemic Attack

• Look for: sudden facial droop, one-sided weakness or numbness, slurred speech, trouble understanding, vision change, unsteady walking, severe dizziness, or sudden severe headache.
• Act now: record the earliest time symptoms appeared; even if they improve, call emergency services or go to the emergency department.

Severe Infection Or Sepsis Risk

• Look for: the whole person is clearly worse after an infection, such as obvious confusion, slow response, rapid breathing, cold clammy skin, extreme weakness, markedly reduced urination, severe pain, or rapid decline.
• Act now: especially for older adults, people with chronic disease, or immunocompromised people, seek medical care or emergency care quickly.

Severe Allergic Reaction

• Look for: trouble breathing, throat tightness, face or tongue swelling, or widespread hives with dizziness, weakness, or fainting.
• Act now: contact emergency services; do not keep waiting and watching.

Severe Dehydration Or Gastrointestinal Red Flags

• Look for: cannot keep fluids down, urination is clearly reduced, mental state is worse; vomiting blood, black stool, blood in stool; severe or worsening abdominal pain.
• Act now: seek medical care or emergency care quickly; do not suppress it with painkillers or home remedies.

Trauma, Poisoning, Or Uncontrolled Bleeding

• Look for: head, neck, or spine injury; severe trauma; suspected fracture; bleeding that will not stop; poisoning; electric shock; drowning; severe burns.
• Act now: get help first, and avoid casually moving someone with possible head, neck, or spine injury.

Additional Red Lines That Are Easy To Miss

Some dangerous signals do not always look like "something huge is happening now," but hesitation can still miss the window.

If It Improved, Do Not Automatically Downgrade

Repeated chest pain or tightness, sudden slurred speech, or one-sided weakness that later improves should not be sent back to simple observation because "it seems fine now." Call emergency services, go to the emergency department, or contact a triage entry point first to confirm.

Mental Health Crisis

• clear thoughts, plans, or behaviors involving self-harm, suicide, or harm to others;
• dangerous behaviors such as saying goodbye, giving away possessions, or seeking tools;
• severe psychiatric symptoms that make it impossible to keep oneself or others safe.

In the United States, contact 988 for crisis support; if immediate safety is at risk, contact 911 or go to the emergency department. In other regions, use local crisis lines, emergency services, or emergency care.

During Pregnancy And The Year After Birth, Be More Cautious

During pregnancy and within one year postpartum, severe headache, vision changes, chest pain, trouble breathing, severe abdominal pain, abnormal bleeding, clearly decreased fetal movement, severe swelling, fainting, seizures, self-harm thoughts, or a feeling that "something is very wrong" should prompt timely medical care or emergency care.

No Red Signal, But Still Uneasy

Unexplained weight loss, long-term fever, repeated bleeding, a new lump, changed state after an older adult falls, persistent abnormal chronic-disease markers, or clear discomfort after a new medication may not all require emergency care, but they should not be delayed for a long time. Use the Symptom Action Guide to sort them into yellow or green; when unsure, treat as yellow and contact a clinician or triage entry point soon.

Minimal Information Pack For Emergency Care

During emergency care, do not chase perfect records. Try to bring four kinds of information:

• what happened: symptoms, start time, whether worsening;
• existing conditions: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, mental health conditions, pregnancy/postpartum, etc.;
• current use: prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, supplements, herbs, allergies;
• who to contact: emergency contact, usual hospital, recent clinician or tests.

If there is no time to organize, get help first. Records serve care; they should not serve delay.

If emergency dispatch, emergency triage, or the hospital entry point gives specific instructions, follow professional judgment and local process.

After This Page, Next Step

Current situation	Next step
Red flag present	Call 911 or local emergency services, go to the emergency department, or contact a local medical entry point first; bring only minimal information and do not delay for records
No clear red flag, but still unsure whether it can wait	Open Symptom Action Guide and sort red, yellow, or green
Preparing to contact a clinician or go to a visit	Use Doctor Visit Checklist to organize symptom timeline, medications, and questions
Want the family to be less chaotic next time	Make a One-Page Family Health Card

References

As of 2026-06-28, this page mainly uses:

• American Heart Association: Heart Attack, Stroke and Cardiac Arrest Symptoms
• CDC: Signs and Symptoms of Stroke
• NHLBI/NIH: Heart Attack Symptoms
• MedlinePlus: Recognizing medical emergencies
• CDC: About Sepsis
• CDC HEAR HER Campaign: Urgent Maternal Warning Signs and Symptoms
• SAMHSA: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
• Poison Control: Poison Control

More source entries are in the source registry. The book's evidence rules are in the evidence policy.

One Sentence

When red flags appear, get help first and explain later.