And we are one of the very few offices in the United States that offer this spit test. Even major laboratory companies like Labcorp and Quest do not offer this test yet.
How does such a test work?
It basically looks for a stomach protein called pepsin.
Given reflux is when stomach contents moves up towards the mouth and pepsin is a protein ONLY produced in the stomach... pepsin should NOT be found in the throat/mouth.
As such, the test can state yes or no whether LPR is present or not.
The steps to the test are as follows:
How good is the test?
Depending on the study, sensitivity ranges in the 80-100% (can actually detect reflux if truly present) and specificity is around 85% (truly no reflux if test is negative).
One test company is RDbiomed (in Europe) using their Peptest kit.
This test is currently not FDA approved yet and as such, is a test that is NOT covered by insurance at this time. Due to a special arrangement our office has with RDBiomed, the Peptest kit can be obtained in our office at a discounted price of $125 (compared to normal price of $175). Price includes the kit, test supplies, and courier shipping service.
Please note that this testing is ONLY offered to current patients of ours.
However, if you are not a current patient of ours, you can order this test yourself online as an individual without a visit to our office. It is recommended you take the standard 3 sample peptest. Click here for more information.
References:
Sensitive pepsin immunoassay for detection of laryngopharyngeal reflux. Laryngoscope. 2005 Aug;115(8):1473-8.
Rapid salivary pepsin test: Blinded assessment of test performance in gastroesophageal reflux disease. Laryngoscope. 2012 Jun;122(6):1312-6. doi: 10.1002/lary.23252. Epub 2012 Mar 23.
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