Getting relief can be enough for a healthcare provider to say you, indeed, have GERD.
If you don’t, he or she may consider running some tests.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
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Depending on your circumstances and test results, you may have more than one.
Upper Endoscopy
Upper endoscopyis performed in a hospital or an outpatient facility.
Once this is in place, you are sent home.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
An ambulatory acid monitor is useful when you haveGERD symptomsbut no esophageal damage.
This test is consideredthe most accurateto detect acid reflux.
Another form of pH monitoring is done with a capsule placed in your esophagus instead of a tube.
The capsule wirelessly transmits acid measurements to a receiver you wear on your waistband.
Esophageal Manometry
This test measures the contractions in your esophagus when you swallow.
It’s done by numbing your throat and then placing a thin tube through your nose into your stomach.
This can be done in your healthcare provider’s office.
You may also drink a thinner barium solution and/or swallow a barium pill while pictures are again taken.
Differential Diagnoses
There are several disorders that have symptoms that can overlap with GERD.
Fortunately, all of these conditions can be distinguished from GERD using the same tests described above.
Esophagitis
GERD can, in the long-term, cause esophagitis (inflammation in your esophagus).
Like esophagitis, these issues can also be distinguished from GERD with an upper endoscopy with a tissue biopsy.
These disorders are essentially the same thing with only slight nuances, and are quite common.
These are typically diagnosed with a patient has symptoms that are not explained by testing.
Frequently Asked Questions
That isn’t known exactly, but Barrett’s esophagus doesn’t develop quickly.
Having GERD for 10 or more years is often considered a risk factor for Barrett’s.
The condition occurs due to acid repetitively irritating and eroding the lining of the esophagus over many years.
Avoiding tight clothing and limiting stress also reduces GERD symptoms,as well as quitting smoking.
GERD is usually considered a chronic (not curable) condition, but symptoms can be managed.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of GER & GERD.
Cleveland Clinic.Barrett’s esophagus.
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