Lactose Intolerance

Terms You Should Know 

• Antibiotic - associated diarrhoea : Loose, frequent stools that may result from taking antibiotic medications. 

• Bowel Movement : It is the process of elimination of waste ( faeces) present in the rectum and anus.

• Diarrhoea : Loose or watery and often frequent bowel movements. 

• Enteritis : inflammation of the lining of the small intestine, often caused by a bacterial or viral infection. 

• Food-borne illness : An infection caused by consuming foods or drinks that contain harmful bacteria, viruses or parasites. When food is poorly handle, improperly cooked or inadequately stored, harmful organisms can cause illness. Also called food poisoning. 

• Gastroenteritis : Inflammation of the stomach and intestine, often caused by bacteria or viruses. 

• Nausea: An unpleasant sensation in the abdomen, which may be followed by vomiting. 

• Rotavirus : The most common cause of acute diarrhoea in children. Rotavirus infection, which usually lasts from 3-8 days, produces vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and sometimes abdominal pain.

• Traveller's diarrhoea : Diarrhoea that usually begins abruptly while traveling or shortly afterward. 

• Vomit The forceful ejection of stomach contents through the mouth. 

Lactose is a simple sugar present mainly in milk and milk products. Therefore lactose is also known as milk sugar. It is also present in a variety of other foods and even is a component of some tablets and capsules. Intestines contain an enzyme lactase, which splits lactose into simple sugars. These simple sugars can then be absorbed by the body. 

Infants and children have the enzyme lactase to digest mother's milk. Later as age increases, lactase begins to decrease in many children. By adolescence, its concentration lessens considerably in the intestines. 

When the intestines do not contain lactase, then lactose cannot be digested properly. Undigested lactose produces symptoms like bloating, flatus and diarrhoea. This is known as lactose intolerance. 

Lactase activity is reduced in people with certain conditions such as Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease ( gluten enteropathy). Patients taking certain drugs and alcoholic patients may also be lactose intolerant. 

Diagnosis, Symptoms and Treatment
Medications