Smart health facts: Upper GI endoscopy test (EGD)
Suffering from heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? You may want to consider all of your options before undergoing an upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy (EDG or esophagogastroduodenoscopy). Lifestyle changes offer good results for many people. For example, try limiting alcohol and spicy, acidic or fatty food and eating several smaller meals every few hours.
During an upper GI endoscopy test, the doctor puts a small camera at the end of a flexible tube (endoscope) down your throat to see the lining of your esophagus, your stomach, and the small part of your intestine. The test lasts about 10 minutes.
Why you might need an upper GI endoscopy test
Your doctor might suggest an upper GI endoscopy test if you have one or more of the following:
- Heartburn and/or acid reflux
- Abdominal pain
- Black or tarry stools
- Chronic liver disease or Crohn's disease
- Muscles of stomach not working properly
- The esophagus has narrowed
- It hurts to swallow or is hard to swallow
- Unexplained anemia or weight loss
- Vomiting frequently or with blood
Understand the risks of an upper GI endoscopy test
- Puncturing of throat, stomach or intestine
- Bleeding
- Apnea (not breathing) or difficulty breathing
- Low blood pressure
- If you have heart disease, ask your doctor about other risks
Ask your doctor about other options
- Medications like Prilosec or other proton pump inhibitors
- Histamine receptor antagonists
- Diet changes such as avoiding spicy, fatty and acidic foods
- GI x-ray with barium
Learn more
Log in to your Priority Health account on this website to see:
Other sources of information:
1Go to the U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health website to read about GERD
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