Acid Reflux Test - First Step in Permanent Cure

If you have been showing symptoms of GERD, then you need to undergo the acid reflux test to confirm and thereof, start your treatment. The typical symptoms shown by a person are heartburn accompanied by chest pain, chronic coughing and dryness of the throat, hoarseness in the voice etc. If these symptoms occur at least 2-3 times a week then the person is more likely to have GERD. However, one needs to have the acid reflux test done to confirm.

The acid reflux test can be done only in a medical laboratory and you need to visit a hospital in your area to get it done. Your medical practitioner will suggest you the type of acid reflux test to perform.

One such acid reflux test that your doctor may order is the pH probe test. The aim of this test is to determine that for how long the esophagus is exposed to the stomach acids. To find this, a thin flexible tube is inserted through a numbed nasal passage into the esophagus and placed above the lower esophageal sphincter valve. Attached to the other end of the tube is a small computer that records acid regurgitation during a period of 24-48 hours. The pH readings indicate the amount of acid being refluxed. In an alternative method, Bravo pH test can be done but that inserts the tube during endoscopy. The doctor will normally order pH probe test after suggested medications for GERD have failed to provide relief.

Yet another acid reflux test is the Barium X-Ray test. In this case one needs to drink a chalky liquid that fills his esophagus. The X-ray then helps to determine the strictures, growth or narrowing in the esophagus that contributed to difficulties in swallowing. Thus it exposes the esophageal condition to the doctor. Barium X-Ray acid reflux test also determines presence of hiatal hernia, if any.

Endoscopy acid reflux test is a more direct diagnosis. In this case, a thin tube with a light and camera is inserted inside the throat and this determines the ulcers or inflammations in the esophagus and the stomach. The doctor may also take samples of tissue to check for precancerous symptoms. Biopsies of the stomach can also be done to check for peptic ulcers.

The acid reflux test exposes the internal condition of your digestive system (esophagus and the stomach) and hence, helps the doctor certify special treatments for curing acid reflux.

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