There are many ways that gastroesophageal reflux disease can be diagnosed. Often times a person suffering from GERD can correctly diagnose themselves; however, the best way is to go to your physician and ask him or her about GERD before you start trying to treat yourself. Mayoclinic.org lists five diagnosis options for GERD: by symptoms, acid in esophagus monitor, x-ray of upper digestive system, endoscopy, and a test to monitor the movement of the esophagus.
When visiting your primary care physician, you can describe to him your symptoms. Based on what you tell him, it is possible to diagnose you as having GERD. If your doctor wants to rule out other gastrointestinal diseases (as I talked about earlier, it is often hard to distinguish between gastrointestinal disorders), he may recommend some of these other tests.
Monitoring the amount of acid in the esophagus is called an ambulatory acid probe test. It measures acid in the esophagus for 24 hours. “The device identifies when, and for how long, stomach acid regurgitates into your esophagus (Mayoclinic.org)." This is done using a thin and flexible tube which goes through the nose and down the esophagus and is attached to a small computer worn around the waist. It can also be done using a small clip inside the esophagus (placed there during an endoscopy) which transmits information to a computer. After a couple days the clip falls off and is digested.
An x-ray of the upper digestive system is also called a barium swallow. The patient drinks a solution of barium sulfate which coats the inside of the upper digestive system. The x-ray can then get a silhouette of the system and identify any abnormalities.
An endoscopy is a procedure to view the inside of the esophagus and stomach and can also be used to obtain a sample of tissue for a biopsy. During an endoscopy, a thin, flexible tube with a light and a camera on the end is inserted down the patient’s throat. The physician slowly maneuvers the scope through the system. If a biopsy is needed, a thin instrument is threaded through the scope and comes out the end of the tube to collect the sample.
Esophageal motility testing (manometry) is particularly useful in determining whether or not the lower esophageal sphincter is working properly. The test measures activity in the esophagus, specifically movement and pressures.
As I said before, you can likely speculate whether or not you have gastroesophageal reflux disease, but the only way to truly know for certain is to go to your physician and ask. It is up to your doctor to then decide if she is comfortable diagnosing you based on your reported symptoms or if she wants to do more testing to be sure.
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