How does lactose intolerance manifest itself? This question is most often asked by parents of infants. But, despite this, it is also relevant for adults. How does lactose intolerance manifest themselves? How can everything be recognized? You can find answers to all these questions in this article.
Statistics of the development of the disease
Before answering the main question of the article, how lactose intolerance manifests itself, let's consider what it is. So, this pathology can be acquired or hereditary. It develops due to an insufficient amount or absence of an enzyme such as lactase.
As a result, the human body cannot digest products, mainly dairy foods, since they contain lactose.
Some researchers say that this pathology is detected mainly in children. But actually it is not. Lactose intolerance can also occur in adults as a result of digestive disorders. Latestoccur due to age-related changes in the intestines.
Experts have identified a peculiar pattern that determines the presence of pathology associated with the climatic zone. Thus, the closer the population is to the equator, the more people experience difficulties in eating dairy food.
Thus, we can say that the largest number of patients with this pathology are in Southeast Asia, Australia and Alaska. And the smallest number of people with this disorder lives in the UK, Denmark and Sweden.
Interesting facts about lactose intolerance
A team of scientists conducted a study that determined that before the Ice Age, everyone suffered from this pathology. After, as a result of evolution, a gene appears in a person that allows you to eat milk. And for a thousand years, people of the European part acquired this kind of mutation. This was explained by the fact that eating dairy products had a positive effect on survival.
At present, a person's lactose intolerance determines that Asians were part of his people. Russian people with this pathology appeared due to low consumption of dairy food. So, compared to Europe, in Russia they used to drink almost three times less milk.
The English journal Nature has determined that people with lactose intolerance have the lowest risk of developing malignancies.
About lactase and lactose - what is it?
The second term in the article title is a two-component carbohydrate. Made up of lactosealmost 98% of all carbohydrates in dairy products. Its molecule consists of galactose and glucose. In another way, it is also referred to as milk sugar. After entering the intestine, this carbohydrate is fermented by lactase. The latter is an enzyme that is produced by intestinal cells. It is located in the brush border of the villi. The amount of lactase can be lowered with problems with the intestines. Another cause of this enzyme deficiency is a congenital anomaly.
So how does lactose intolerance manifest itself? So, if this carbohydrate is not absorbed, it accumulates. It then enters the large intestine. Due to the fact that lactose is a high molecular weight compound, it begins to attract water, which leads to loose stools. As a result, there is a process of fermentation in the intestines, which is referred to as flatulence.
About the causes of primary pathology
There are two types of lactose intolerance:
- primary or congenital,
- secondary or purchased.
The first type of pathology is present in 4% of people. In this case, the intestinal mucosa is not damaged, but there is a congenital deficiency of such an enzyme as lactase. The cause of this pathology is a gene mutation.
About the causes of secondary pathology
This type of disease occurs in all ages. So how does lactose intolerance manifest itself? This will be discussed later.
The cause of the pathology is intestinal pathology.
To one of the factors in the development of secondarylactose intolerance is an intestinal infection that gets worse, especially in spring and autumn.
Another cause is considered celiac disease. Here we are talking about a disease in which damage to the intestinal villi occurs with the help of food containing gluten. With this disease, there is a decrease in the number of all enzymes, and, of course, lactase.
The next cause of pathology is enteritis. This disease affects the ileum. As the disease progresses, tissue scarring occurs, resulting in a loss of lactase synthesis.
In addition, in chronic pancreatitis, the development of secondary pathology is also observed. This disease is characterized by the fact that the pancreas secretes a small amount of enzymes.
Also, with food allergies, enterocytes are damaged by immunoallergic complexes.
Other causes of secondary pathology include resection (removal of part) of the small intestine and lactose overload. The latter occurs in infants.
How does lactose intolerance manifest in a newborn?
This section of the article will discuss the signs of this disease in infants.
One of the manifestations is loose stools. It may be rare or frequent. As a rule, we are talking about loose stools up to 9 times a day. By the end of the day, it also becomes frothy. This usually happens after every feed. Not to be confused with mushy stools up to 6 times a day. The last case for babies is considered the norm.
More likeIs lactose intolerance seen in babies? There are enough symptoms. One of them is also painful bloating. Here we are talking about increased gas formation in the intestines. It is because of the gases in the intestines that the loops are stretched, and the baby experiences discomfort. On examination, you can see that the child's abdomen is dense. As a rule, children with this symptom are most often restless when feeding. And one of the telltale signs is rumbling in the tummy.
How else is lactose intolerance manifested in children? Other symptoms of lactase deficiency in newborns include restlessness of the baby, as well as a slight increase in weight. As a rule, experts always pay attention to the last indicator. It is believed that the average child should add about 550 grams per month. Therefore, in case of weight loss or poor gain, the doctor prescribes an additional examination that will determine the cause.
Signs of lactose intolerance in adults
Each person can manifest this disease in different ways. It all depends on the severity of the disease in an adult. In addition, another factor is the amount of dairy products consumed. Each person has a different sensitivity to this carbohydrate.
For most people, the symptoms of this disease appear when drinking less than one glass of milk. Only a small part of patients can drink, for example, about one cup of kefir and not experience any discomfort.
BecauseIs lactose intolerance manifested in adults? The symptoms of this disease will be described below.
One of the signs in adults, as in children, is increased gas formation. This happens due to the fact that lactose is broken down in the intestines, as a result, a large amount of hydrogen and carbon dioxide is formed here. During this period, the patient complains of rumbling in the abdomen, as well as its swelling.
Other symptoms of lactase deficiency include intestinal colic and osmotic diarrhea. The latter occurs due to the fact that as a result of the reaction, not only hydrogen, carbon dioxide, but also fatty acids accumulate in the intestine. After that, water is attracted. In this case, the patient complains of frequent foamy stools up to 9 times a day.
Another sign of illness is a feeling of nausea. This is due to the fact that lactose is not completely broken down in the intestine. Therefore, a person experiences not only a feeling of heaviness, but also nausea.
As a result of lactase deficiency, a person experiences general malaise. As a rule, in addition to the symptoms described above, a person complains of dizziness, increased sweating, headaches, weakness in the joints and muscles, and pain in the heart area.
How is the diagnosis made?
This process is a wide range of analyses. There are several methods for diagnosing this disease. For example, in a scatological analysis for lactose intolerance, a stool is examined under a microscope.
Another diagnostic method is the analysis of feces for carbohydrates. Although it is considered not entirely reliable. It determines if the amount of carbohydrates is normal.
Other diagnostic methods are the determination of the hydrogen content in the exhaled air after the patient takes lactose, as well as a biopsy of the small intestine. The latter is carried out using a probe.
Also, sometimes experts prescribe genetic tests or an elimination diet.
How to get tested for lactose intolerance? It is advisable to do everything in the morning or in the evening. Feces must be placed in a clean jar. If the bowel movements were taken in the evening, for example from a child, they should be placed in the refrigerator.
About diet in the presence of pathology
In order to reduce the symptoms of this disease, you should drastically reduce the amount of products that contain lactose. With a severe degree of the disease, the specialist recommends eating no more than a gram of milk sugar. With an average course of the disease, about 9 grams are allowed.
Least milk sugar is found in products such as margarine, butter, cottage cheese, cheese.
Babies with severe disease should completely replace breast milk with lactose-free mixtures. With an average or mild degree of illness, breastfeeding should be continued. But at the same time, it is necessary to monitor the baby's weight gain.
On general recommendations in the presence of pathology
Specialists for people with moderate or mildthe degree of illness is advised to consume a small amount of dairy food with other products. Also, food should be at medium temperature, otherwise signs of illness may appear.
Daily intake of foods that contain lactose should be divided into several meals.
Also, experts recommend eating foods with live lactic acid bacteria, since pasteurized yoghurts are absorbed by the body much worse.
You should also know that the higher the percentage of fat content in cottage cheese or other dairy product, the less lactose is contained.
What does drug treatment involve?
Having understood how lactose intolerance manifests itself, another method of therapy can be considered. It should be noted that it is not the main one and is necessary when recommended by a specialist.
So, to compensate for the deficiency of lactase, drugs containing it are prescribed, with severe diarrhea - antidiarrheal medications. With painful bloating, the doctor prescribes carminative drugs, and in order to eliminate pain, patients take antispasmodics.
In addition, the specialist prescribes vitamins and probiotics. They are necessary to restore immunity and intestinal microflora, respectively.
