Lactase deficiency; Milk intolerance; Disaccharidase deficiency; Dairy product intolerance

Symptoms often occur 30 minutes to 2 hours after you eat or drink milk products, and are often relieved by not eating or drinking milk products. Large doses of milk products may cause worse symptoms.

Symptoms include:

• Abdominal bloating
• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea
• Gas (flatulence)
• Nausea

Infants or children may have slow growth or weight loss.

Other intestinal problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome, may cause the same symptoms as lactose intolerance.

Tests to help diagnose lactose intolerance include:

• Enteroscopy
• Lactose-hydrogen breath test
• Lactose tolerance test
• Stool pH

Images

Digestive system organs

Previous Section

Lactose intolerance Overview

Next Section

Lactose intolerance Treatment

Review Date: 07/07/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD. Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)