Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, these symptoms can be caused
by several gastrointestinal conditions or diseases, so the presence of these
symptoms is not very good at predicting whether a person has lactase deficiency or
lactose intolerance.
Symptoms occur because the unabsorbed lactose passes through the small
intestine and into the colon. In the colon, one type of normal bacterium
contains lactase and is able to split the lactose and use the
resulting glucose and galactose for its own purposes. Unfortunately, when they use
the glucose and galactose, these bacteria also release hydrogen gas. Some of the
gas is absorbed from the colon and into the body and is then expelled by the
lungs in the breath. Most of the hydrogen, however, is used up in the colon
by other bacteria. A small proportion of the hydrogen gas is expelled and
is responsible for the increased
flatulence (passing gas). Some people have an
additional type of bacterium in their colons that changes the hydrogen gas into
methane gas, and these people will excrete only methane or both hydrogen and
methane gas in their breath and flatus.
Not all of the lactose that reaches the colon is split
and used by colonic
bacteria. The unsplit lactose in the colon draws water into the colon (by
osmosis). This leads to loose, diarrheal stools.
The severity of the symptoms of lactose intolerance varies greatly from person to person. One reason for this variability is that people have different amounts of lactose in their diet; the more lactose in the diet, the more likely and severe the symptoms. Another reason for the variability is that people have differing severities of lactase deficiency, that is, they may have mild, moderate, or severe reduction in the amounts of lactase in their intestines. Thus, small amounts of lactose will cause major symptoms in severely lactase deficient people but only mild or no symptoms in mildly lactase deficient people. Finally, people may have different responses to the same amount of lactose reaching the colon. Whereas some may have mild or no symptoms, others may have moderate symptoms. The reason for this is not clear but may relate to differences in their intestinal bacteria.
Lactose Intolerance - Symptoms at Onset of DiseaseQuestion: The symptoms of lactose intolerance can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Diarrhea is a change is the frequency and looseness of bowel movements. Cramping, abdominal pain, and the sensation of rectal urgency are all symptoms of diarrhea. Absorbents and anti-motility medications are used to treat diarrhea.
Gas or "intestinal gas" means different things to different people. Everyone has gas and eliminates it by belching or farting (passing it through the rectum).
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease,
primarily involving the small and large intestine, but which can
affect other parts of the digestive system as well. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and weight loss are
common symptoms.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Celiac disease is a result of an immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat or related grains and present in many foods that we eat. Celiac disease causes impaired absorption and digestion of nutrients through the small intestine. Signs and symptoms of celiac disease include malabsorbption (diarrhea, foul smelling gas, bloating, and increased amounts of fat in the stool) and malnutrition (weight loss, edema, anemia, bruising easily, neuropathy, and infertility). Treatment for celiac disease is a gluten free diet, and at times if necessary, medications
Learn about osteoporosis, a condition characterized by the loss of bone density, which leads to an increased risk of bone fracture. Unless one experiences a fracture, a person may have osteoporosis for decades without knowing it. Treatment for osteoporosis may involve medications that stop bone loss and increase bone strength and bone formation, as well as quitting smoking, regular exercise, cutting back on alcohol intake, and eating a calcium- and vitamin D-rich balanced diet.
Dyspepsia (indigestion) is a functional disease in which the gastrointestinal organs, primarily the stomach and first part of the small intestine, function abnormally. It is a chronic disease in which the symptoms fluctuate infrequency and intensity. Symptoms of dyspepsia include upper abdominal pain, belching, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, early satiety, and abdominal distention (swelling). These symptoms are most often provoked by eating.
The most common food allergies are to eggs, nuts, milk, peanuts, fish, shellfish, strawberries and tomatoes. Symptoms and signs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, itching, hives, eczema, asthma, lightheadedness, and anaphylaxis. Allergy skin tests, RAST, and ELISA tests may be used to diagnose a food allergy. Though dietary avoidance may be sufficient treatment for mild allergies, the use of an Epipen may be necessary for severe food allergies.
There are a number of different methods of birth control to include: barrier methods, IUDs, hormonal methods, natural methods, and surgical sterilization. Birth control methods can be reversible or permanent. In simple terms, all methods of birth control are based on either preventing a man's sperm from reaching and entering a woman's egg (fertilization) or preventing the fertilized egg from implanting in the woman's uterus (her womb) and starting to grow.
Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
Setting a good example for your children when it comes to diet and exercise will help them to make healthy decisions about nutrition and fitness. Eating calcium-rich foods and performing weight-bearing exercise will help your children prevent osteoporosis and fractures later in life.
Digestion RSS
Healthy Living Tips
This site complies with the