Diagnosis

Self Diagnosis

You may be aware of reflux or regurgitation or of the acid burn we refer to as heartburn and this encyclopaedia may make you aware of other possible symptoms you may not have previously considered pertinent. (N.B. Not everyone with acid reflux experiences heartburn.)

It is claimed you can test your stomach acidity by ingesting baking soda and determining how long it is before you belch. Whereas the science behind this has some credibility (baking soda + stomach acid = carbon dioxide = burp), there are so many variables as to make results calculated this way too unreliable for accurate diagnosis.

Other tests of acidity of saliva, urine or blood have no correlation to the acidity of the stomach.

Doctors will often initially use this method:

Diagnosis by PPI (Proton Pump Inhitor) - acid suppressant medication

1. Prescribe a PPI like omeprazole for a few weeks.

2. If the patient doesn’t come back, assume their oesophagitis (cause of any heartburn) has healed.

3. If the patient returns, the next step depends on risk factors. Those most at risk are obese, white, middle aged men with a familial history of oesophageal cancer. They may be referred to a gastroenterologist - step 5.

4. If they return and don’t meet the risk criteria, they will get an increased dose of PPI and thence return to step 2 but if they return again, move onto step 5.

5. The gastroenterologist may decide to examine their oesophagus using an endoscope though other diagnostic tools are now becoming available. (See the chapter: "New Diagnostic Tools".)

6. If they’re found to have Barrett’s Oesophagus, they are put on a management regime of daily PPI for life and surveillance endoscopes every few years

Page updated 8 April 2025