Many EoE symptoms are the same ones for GERD, so your doctor will he to rule out acid reflux or any other possible cause before giving you a diagnosis.
The first step is talking to you, asking about your:
Eating habits. Do you oid certain foods that you find make things worse? Do you prepare your food in certain ways so it’s easier to swallow?
Medical history. He you been diagnosed with conditions that are often related to EoE, like asthma, allergies (food and environment), or eczema?
Family’s medical history. Does a close biological family member he EoE? Once your doctor has this information, you might be referred for testing.
Endoscopy. An endoscope, a long tube with a light and camera on the end, is placed in your mouth and eased down into your esophagus. This allows the doctor to see what your esophagus looks like. They’re looking for inflammation, white spots, rings, and areas where the esophagus is narrower than it should be (a stricture). If the signs are there, it’s not a definite diagnosis yet though. You would need more tests to be sure.
Biopsy. A biopsy is a test that can be done during the endoscopy. The doctor takes a small piece of tissue with the endoscope and sends it to a lab to be looked at through a microscope to see if there are eosinophils.
Blood tests. Blood tests can tell if you he higher levels of eosinophils in your body or a protein called immunoglobulin E, which could mean you he allergies.
Allergy tests. Allergy tests, skin pricks on your skin to test for trigger foods, may help you identify which foods you might be allergic to.
Esophageal sponge. To do this test, you swallow a capsule that has a sponge in it and a string attached to it. When the capsule is in your stomach, the coating breaks down, releasing the sponge. The doctor then uses the string to pull the sponge out. As the sponge comes up through your esophagus, it collects a sample of tissue.
What to do when you’re first diagnosed
When you’re diagnosed with EoE, you might feel relieved because you finally he a diagnosis, but you also might feel a bit overwhelmed with learning how to deal with the condition. You’ll probably be working closely with a specialist to get your symptoms under control.