Due to the similarity of symptoms, achalasia can be mistaken for more common disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatus hernia, and even psychosomatic disorders and heart attack. Diagnosis of achalasia begins with a careful medical history. The history should focus on the timing of symptoms and on eliminating other medical conditions that may cause similar symptoms. Specific tests for achalasia are barium swallow, endoscopy of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (Upper G I Endoscopy) and esophageal manometry.
