How can the pH value in the stomach be measured?

A gastric juice examination, also called gastric secretion analysis, examines the pH value and the composition of the gastric juice. A changed pH-value can provide conclusions about various diseases. In a gastric juice analysis, the pH is fasting and the treating physician uses a stomach tube.

This is a soft plastic tube that the doctor inserts into the stomach via the nose or mouth after numbing the nasopharynx with a lubricant. Through the tube the doctor sucks in some gastric juice, which is then examined in the laboratory. There the pH value of the gastric juice is measured.

The pH value in the stomach can also be measured indirectly using 24-hour pH measurement. This is a long-term acid measurement in the section of the esophagus near the stomach. This examination procedure is often used in gastrointestinal medicine to examine reflux complaints, such as heartburn, in which acidic stomach contents are returned to the esophagus.

Both examination methods can detect the acid content of the gastric juice. Gastric juice examination is an examination of the gastric juice in which the pH value of the gastric juice is measured directly. With 24-hour pH measurement, a reflux of gastric juice into the esophagus can be detected. The pH value of the gastric juice is measured.

What are proton pump inhibitors?

Protonone pump inhibitors (PPIs), also known as proton pump inhibitors, are currently the most effective drugs to reduce the formation of stomach acid. The proton pump inhibitors reduce the release of stomach acid from the cells of the stomach wall. The formation and release of the acid is carried out by the so-called “Belegzellen” of the gastric mucosa.

An enzyme (more precisely: the H+/K+-ATPase) pumps protons (protons are electrically positively charged particles, here the hydrogen particles “H+” are meant) out of the document cells. The protons are essential for the acidic properties of stomach acid. The more protons there are, the more acidic the stomach acid is.

Proton pump inhibitors work by interfering with this mechanism. The drugs reach the cells via the bloodstream and inhibit the “proton pump”. This blockage is permanent, which is why the acid-reducing effect of the drugs can last up to three days.

Omeprazole is a drug substance used for the prevention and therapy of stomach and duodenal ulcers. It belongs to the drug group of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Ulcers of the stomach or duodenum are often caused by colonization of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori.

To eradicate the germs, omeprazole is often administered together with antibiotics. Omeprazole helps to reduce stomach acid. Pantoprazole is a proton pump inhibitor that is used to reduce stomach acid. Pantoprazole is often used for heartburn and inflammation of the esophagus, but also for stomach and duodenal ulcers. The drug is also used for ulcers caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, reflux diseases and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (hormone-producing cancer of the pancreas).