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The panel is suitable for those who suspect that they may have gluten intolerance. The panel includes 2 blood tests, a lab doctor’s written explanations sent together with the results, and a follow-up consultation with a lab doctor.
An abdominal discomfort after consuming dairy products, excessive gas and bloating, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, inflammatory bowel disease
The lactose intolerance panel is used to determine lactose intolerance. The results are sent together with a lab doctor’s written explanations, followed up with a lab doctor’s phone consultation.
What is lactose intolerance?
Lactose intolerance (also milk sugar intolerance, hypolactasia) is caused by lactose (also known as milk sugar) malabsorption due to reduced activity of milk sugar or the enzyme lactase. Due to this, a smaller or larger portion of lactose remains unprocessed and unabsorbed in the small intestines. As a result, the microbes in the large intestine cause gas and acids, which may give rise to abdominal discomfort: excessive flatulence and bloating, stomach growling, stomach pain and diarrhoea.
In most people, the body produces lactase throughout their life, but the activity of its production is the highest among infants and toddlers, as in this phase milk is the primary food that the body needs. When other foods are introduced in the menu, the need for a large amount of lactase disappears and its activity is gradually reduced in time. This is why older people may be less tolerant to dairy products than children and teens. Some lactase activity (usually 50-70%) is preserved.
Causes of lactose intolerance
Primary lactose intolerance or primary hypolactasia is caused by a genetic predisposition and usually manifests between the ages of 5 and 20. In such people, the gene regulating lactase production is “switched on” only during the first years of life, after which the lactase activity slows significantly and the person’s ability to digest milk sugar also decreases accordingly. In Estonia, approximately 20-30% of the population have primary lactose intolerance. This condition is incurable. The symptoms vary in severity and can be prevented with proper nutrition.
Secondary lactose intolerance is caused by small intestine damages co-occurring with digestive tract diseases, such as coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. Secondary lactose intolerance can also occur in infants and toddlers after bowel diseases. The symptoms usually disappear within 2-4 weeks after the primary disease has subsided.
When to suspect lactose intolerance?
Possible symptoms indicating lactose intolerance include abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, excessive gas and bloating, diarrhoea, occasionally also vomiting directly or a few hours after consuming lactose-containing products. The severity of the symptoms depends on the amount of dairy products consumed and the remaining activity level of the enzyme lactase.
Lactose intolerance symptoms and their severity levels vary and can overlap with symptoms of other conditions, including the irritable bowel syndrome and coeliac disease.
What are the consequences of lactose intolerance?
If you have been diagnosed with lactose intolerance and you still continue consuming lactose-containing products, you will develop post-meal indigestion, which may result in the impaired absorption of various nutrients.
How it works?
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