Diagnosis

Your doctor can normally diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) from the symptoms alone. However, if your doctor feels that you may also be suffering from reflux esophagitis, he/she may arrange for an examination to show whether the lining of the esophagus is affected.

Endoscopy
During an endoscopy, a narrow, flexible tube with a light and camera at the end (fibre optic), is placed into the mouth and throat and then into the esophagus. This allows the doctor to see if there is any reddening (indicating inflammation) or erosions (a shallow open sore limited to the inner lining of esophagus) or rarely esophageal ulcer (deeper lesion) on the esophageal wall. It is also possible to take a small sample (biopsy) of the esophageal wall to check for any histological abnormalities. The procedure may be uncomfortable but is not generally painful. You should not need to stay in
hospital overnight, but you may need
someone else to drive you home.