“How often should you have an endoscopy for GERD?”

You don't need one often. One time to look for hiatal hernia or Barretts. Repeat endoscopy only needed to follow up Barretts if you have it.

EGD for GERD is typically only recommended for certain patients and unless you have Barrett's esophagus, there is no need for repeat Endoscopy. We perform EGD to exclude other causes of your symptoms such as ulcers, H pylori infections and to rule out Barrett's esophagus in patients with chronic reflux >10 years, obesity, diabetes, males over age 40, family history of Barrett's or esophageal cancer, weight loss, trouble swallowing. We can also perform Endoscopy in patients when GERD is not controlled on medications. In this case we can perform BRAVO testing in which, we attach a capsule in the lower esophagus, to measure how much acid you are having. If you have reflux and other symptoms, you should speak to a Gastroenterologist to see if you would require an EGD.