Red flags

Red flags are symptoms or signs indicating potentially serious medical conditions that require immediate attention. Some common red flags include:

1. Neurological Symptoms: Weakness, numbness, or changes in reflexes can indicate nerve involvement or serious conditions like cauda equina syndrome (CES), which requires urgent evaluation (Finucane et al., 2020; SA Health, 2022).
2. Unexplained Weight Loss: Significant weight loss without trying could suggest malignancy or other serious illnesses.
3. History of Cancer: A patient with a history of cancer presenting with new pain should be evaluated for potential metastasis (Finucane et al., 2020).
4. Significant Trauma: Trauma resulting in pain, especially in older adults, raises concern for fractures or other severe injuries.
5. Fever or Chills: These symptoms may indicate infection or inflammatory processes.
6. Use of Steroids or Intravenous Drugs: These factors increase the risk of infections and other complications (SA Health, 2022).
7. Severe, Persistent Pain at Night: Pain that disturbs sleep could indicate serious underlying pathology.

Prompt recognition of these flags is critical to ensure timely intervention and appropriate referrals (Finucane et al., 2020; The Pharmaceutical Journal, 2024).