How is GERD diagnosed ?
The diagnosis of GERD is, like with most conditions, a complex procedure. There are a variety of accepted methods for diagnosing the condition, although care must always be taken to ensure that the GERD is the reall issue to hand, and the symptoms are not the result of a deeper underlying problem. The most common diagnosis of GERD is from its trademark symptom of heartburn. This burning sensation which usually occurs after meals is as a result of acid reflux, which may be caused by a multitude of reasons. As a test, patients with this complaint are usually prescribed medication to neutralise the excess stomach acid, which will validate the diagnosis of acid reflux if effective. This is most commonly referred to as the therapeutic trial, although this is not necessarily a foolproof diagnostic method, as other, sometimes more serious, conditions can mimic these symptoms.
Another common way of diagnosing GERD is by means of an Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. This involves the insertion of a small camera into the oesophagus, which allows for internal examination of the oesophagus and the stomach. In the majority of patients with reflux, this will not be a beneficial practice as their oesophagus can remain in a normal looking state. However, in a number of cases, the lining will be notably inflamed, which could help with the diagnosis of GERD. Furthermore, this can help with the identification of ulcers, which will give further cause for such a diagnosis and suggest the urgent nature of the treatment. Additionally, if there are any more serious problems such as cancers, these can be seen and diagnosed with the help of the endoscopy which makes the process worthwhile.
With the endoscopy, biopsies of the oesophagus can be taken which, although again not useful in the diagnosis of GERD can certainly aid the diagnosis of cancers or infectious causes, as they only afford examination of the cellular makeup and the state of the cells contained therein.
A particularly effective way in which acid reflux can be diagnosed is through oesophageal acid testing. This works on the principle that those suffering from acid reflux generally retain more and stronger acid within their oesophagus. Furthermore, the tests can be conducted fairly accurately on the basis of examining the length of retention of acid in the oesophagus, which is usually considerably longer in patients suffering from GERD.
Additional tests can be carried out by an ENT specialist on the throat. Close inspection could uncover the causes of discomfort, which could very well be acid and GERD. Similarly, the use of acid suppressing medication will also be a key feature of this diagnosis method, although again this will carry the associated diagnostic problems as mentioned above.
There are a range of means by which GERD can be diagnosed. Although varying in accuracy, a combination of methods may be used to confirm the diagnosis and rule out any additional causes, as well as to allow a course of treatment to commence.
Acid reflux news on the Web
Precancerous Condition Associated With Reflux Disease Triggered By Bile - Not Acid
For many people with gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, acid reflux drugs are the answer to their woes, curbing the chronic heartburn and regurgitation of food or sour liquid characteristic of the disorder. But when it comes to Barrett's esophagus, a condition commonly found in people with GERD, acid control may be less important than beating back another bodily fluid - bile... |
New GERD Device Offered At Mayo Clinic
A new device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition that can lead to serious health problems, will soon be available at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. The device will be offered to patients taking medication for the condition, who continue to have chronic reflux symptoms. The device was approved to treat GERD (also known as acid reflux disease) on March 22 by the U.S... |
Acid Reflux 50% More Common Than Ten Years Ago
A long-term Norwegian study reveals the number of people who experience acid reflux at least once a week has gone up by nearly 50% in the last 10 years, with women appearing to be more susceptible to the condition than men... |
Prescribing Acid-Suppressing Drugs To Infants
Frequent spitting up, irritability, and unexplained crying in infants can be very distressing to parents. Pediatricians often prescribe acid-suppressing drugs for these symptoms in an effort to treat infants for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); however, GERD is an uncommon cause of these symptoms in otherwise thriving infants... |
Prescribing Of Acid-suppressing Medication For Infants Rises Considerably
Infants who are frequently spitting up, irritable, and cry for unknown reasons can be extremely worrying for parents. The infants are often prescribed with acid-suppressing drugs by their pediatricians in an attempt to treat them for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) but in otherwise thriving infants GERD is not a common cause of these symptoms... |
Acid-Suppressing Drugs Being Over Prescribed In Infants
Frequent spitting up, irritability and unexplained crying in infants are often very distressing to parents. Physicians frequently prescribe acid-suppressing drugs for these symptoms. However, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is an uncommon cause of these symptoms in otherwise thriving infants, and in his Commentary published in the October 20th issue of The Journal of Pediatrics, Dr... |
GERD Treatments, Benefits And Risks - New Report
New plain-language reports compare the risks and benefits of therapies for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a digestive condition that affects millions of individuals in the U.S., and can be treated with medications or surgery. The reports are from the U.S... |
Proton Pump Inhibitors Should Have Black-box Warnings, Group Tell FDA
Withdrawal from PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) can lead to severe rebound acid secretion, a complication that can force users to become dependent on them - this should be mentioned in a black-box warning, consumer group Public Citizen has told the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)... |
Leftover Embryonic Cells Connect Gastric Reflux And Cancer
The ultimate source of some cancers is embryonic cells. Research published in the June 24th Cell, a Cell Press publication, traces the precursor of deadly esophageal cancers to leftover embryonic cells found in all adults. Some people with gastric reflux disease have a greater risk of developing esophageal cancer... |
Homing In On Genetic Signature Of Esophageal Cancer
University of Rochester Medical Center researchers have pinpointed two genes that are amplified in the worst cases of esophageal cancer, providing data to support a new investigational treatment that targets those same genes. The study, led by Tony Godfrey, Ph.D., a research associate professor of Surgery at the James P... |
News From The Annals Of Family Medicine, May/June
Acid-Suppressing Proton Pump Inhibitors Associated with Fracture Risk A meta-analysis of previous research into an unintended effect of acid suppression medications - some of the most widely used medications in the world - finds evidence that long-term use of proton pump inhibitors, but not H2-receptor antagonists, is associated with increased risk of fracture... |
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