What is PepsinCheck?
Many reflux diagnostic tests are expensive, time-consuming, invasive and sometimes unpleasant. All diagnostic tests have their place in the reflux workup, but as you start the journey to investigating your reflux, PepsinCheck is an easy place to begin.
PepsinCheck is an accurate, painless and inexpensive test that indicates whether you have reflux. It works by simply looking for the presence of a stomach enzyme called pepsin in a sample of your saliva. Pepsin is only produced in the stomach, so if it is present in saliva, we know it has been refluxed from the stomach.
PepsinCheck was developed by RD Biomed and is sold globally as 'The Peptest'. In the US, PepsinCheck is distributed by Ball Medical, a reflux-oriented medical device company.
What is pepsin?
Pepsin is the enzyme responsible for digesting protein, and is only produced in the stomach. The enzyme originates from pepsinogen, which is secreted into gastric juices and activated to become Pepsin.
Is pepsin dangerous?
The stomach is lined with mucous-producing cells, which provide protection from auto-digestion by pepsin. Unfortunately, the esophagus and throat do not have these protective layers, making their sensitive tissues very susceptible to damage from pepsin and acid that refluxes out of the stomach. Over time, reflux can lead to serious complications. If you have a normal PepsinCheck test, your physician may still want to check you for acid in the upper-airway, using a test such as Ball Medical.
Is it important to check for pepsin?
Lab confirmation of pepsin in the saliva can give an objective assessment of the presence of reflux in a patient and help to make an initial diagnosis. Evidence shows that the combination of Pepsin and Acid is far more damaging than acid alone.
How PepsinCheck samples are collected:
- Clear your throat Clear your throat with a cough.
- Spit into Collection Tube Spit the resulting saliva/sputum into the provided collection tube.
- Repeat. Repeat this procedure until approximately 1ml of sample has been collected. (Sample should be below the bottom of the white label on the collection tube)
- Shake well. Replace the lid and shake the tube to mix the sample with the reagent.