Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

  • General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
    • Inspection (viewing).
      • Skin and mucous membranes
      • Abdomen (abdomen)
        • Shape of the abdomen?
        • Skin color? Skin texture?
        • Efflorescences (skin changes)?
        • Pulsations? Bowel movements?
        • Visible vessels?
        • Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
    • Auscultation (listening) of the heart [due todifferential diagnoses: coronary heart disease (CHD); myocardial infarction (heart attack)].
    • Auscultation of the lungs [due topossible sequelae: sinubronchitis (simultaneous occurrence of sinusitis(sinusitis and bronchitis / inflammation of the larger branched airways)]
    • Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing knocking pain?) [gastric ulcer (stomach ulcer); esophagitis (esophagitis)]
  • ENT medical examination including a laryngoscopy (laryngoscopy) [due topossible sequelae: laryngeal carcinoma (cancer of the larynx); other possible sequelae: chronic sinusitis (sinusitis); chronic otitis (inflammation of the middle ear)]

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.