How to Recognize Disorders That Emulate GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a challenging disease to treat. It is so challenging because GERD emulates a variety of other disorders. For example, the burning sensation associated with GERD could be simple heartburn. Alternatively, it could be the sign of a serious medical condition such as a heart attack. A variety of other disorders, some relatively minor and others very serious, also mimic GERD. Therefore, diagnosing GERD or one of its copycats can be difficult.

Instructions

• 1

  Acknowledge that there are other disorders that mimic GERD. Recognizing this fact will allow you to keep an open mind when treating patients that present with signs and symptoms of GERD.

• 2

  Research disorders that emulate GERD, such as heart burn, ulcers, and heart attacks. Heart burn is a less mild form of GERD. Though a very similar disorder, it must be treated differently. Ulcers can present similar burning sensations as GERD, but are an extremely different medical problem. Heart attacks also present similar signs and symptoms as GERD, but are immediately life threatening and require aggressive treatment.

• 3

  Perform an electrocardiogram (EKG) to rule out cardiac problems. An EKG is a test that records the heart's electrical activity, thereby allowing a physician to uncover heart problems. These are the most serious conditions that emulate GERD.

• 4

  Perform an endoscopy to determine the cause of the signs and symptoms that are presenting. An endoscopy is a procedure in which a camera is threaded down the esophagus and into the stomach. This allows the physician to take pictures of the esophagus and stomach, thereby allowing a diagnosis of gastroesophageal problems.