When is a headache just an annoyance...and when is it the symptom of a life-threatening condition? When is it crucial to get to a doctor or an emergency room within the next few days, hours, or even minutes?

This potentially lifesaving guide, newly revised and updated, gives you instant access to the information you need to spot a serious medical condition before it’s too late . No matter what the symptom—wavy or distorted vision, a child’s wheezing, a severe sore throat, or an irregular pulse—it offers up-to-date information on possible diagnoses and invaluable advice on when you should seek medical help.

With an essential new section on how to protect yourself from hospital errors, a new appendix listing screening tests that may help you detect health problems even before red-light warning signals show up, special sections on pregnancy and pediatrics, and tips on care for the elderly scattered throughout, this book is a useful resource for all. Written with expertise by three physicians and the input of hundreds of other medical specialists, it is the next best thing to having a doctor in the house.