Posts Tagged ‘dehydration’

What is Lactose Intolerance?

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

In my field of practice, I only see few cases of lactose intolerance in babies. We need to know about it since we don’t know our own babies may have one. Lactose intolerance is the body’s reduced capacity to digest lactose the main sugar in dairy products.

Normally, lactose is digested by lactase, the enzyme present in the lining of the small intestine. A lactase deficiency prevents complete lactose absorption. Lactose intolerance affects around 70 percent of individuals worldwide.

The common symptoms are: babies may experience stomach pain, diarrhea, bloating, and gas or colic. These are due to the failure of the intestine to efficiently process lactose, resulting in frequent and acidic stools. Diarrhea causes fluid and electrolyte imbalance, which leads to dehydration and even death in severe cases.

Lactose intolerance appears to increase during childhood for unknown reasons. Late onset of lactase deficiency develops between three and five years of age. Most lactose- intolerant individuals are able to absorb 24 t0 36 percent of the quantity tolerated by normal individuals. This is a approximately equivalent to eight to 12 ounces of milk.