How Do You Diagnose Acid Reflux Disease?
If you suffer from heartburn on a regular basis, you may have acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Occasional heartburn is nothing to worry about…antacids will cure this. When the frequency of the heartburn increases, it is time to see if you are one of the millions who suffer from acid reflux. See your doctor. Usually an examination is all that is needed to tell if you have acid reflux. However, if you happen to be the exception to the rule proceed to Step 2. Schedule an endoscopy. This test can be done when you are asleep and therefore will have no knowledge of your doctor inserting a tube down your throat. The tube allows the doctor to look inside your stomach and see what is causing the heartburn. Although this test is good for diagnosing complications of acid reflux, only about half of the patients show the actual disease with this test. Have a pH test. This can measure the amount of acid in your stomach that is backing up into the esophagus. Usually this is on
