Understanding Intestinal disaccharidase deficiencies: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products. It is a very common condition.
Lactase is a type of protein called enzyme, located in your digestive tract. It helps breaking down lactose so your body can absorb it. A lactose intolerance happens when you don’t have enough of this enzyme- it can happen naturally with age, due to a genetic deficiency, or temporarily after a of food poisoning,
If you have lactose intolerance and you eat a diary product, you will probably suffer from bloating, stomachache and diarrhea.

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Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- Lactose intolerance
- Sucrose intolerance
- Disaccharidase Deficiency

Signs & symptoms

The most common symptoms you might experience after eating a dairy product are bloating, abdominal cramps, gas and diarrhea.
Other, less frequent symptoms may include nausea and vomiting.

Diagnosis

There are two main diagnostic test you can do:
1. Breathing test- you will be asked to drink a lactose reach beverage, and breath into a special machine that can identify whether you have a lactose intolerance or not
2. Blood test- you will drink a lactose reach beverage and blood samples will be taken from you every 10 to 15 minutes. If the blood test shows a low sugar level, it is likely that you have a lactose intolerance.

Treatment

The condition is managed differently according to the severity of the symptoms. It may include:
- Lowering the number of dairy products in your diet- you should eat less milk, cheese and other milk-containing foods.
- Taking an enzyme supplement before a diary meal.
You should make sure that you find a non-dairy source for all important nutrients, especially calcium. fish, fruits and tofu are excellent non-dairy sources of calcium.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

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Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital