Lactase insufficiency. Its types, causes and treatment

Probably everyone knows perfectly well that breast milk is the best food for a newborn. After all, it contains all the necessary vitamins and microelements that are necessary for the development of the baby in the first months of life. But recently many children are diagnosed with "lactase deficiency". What is it? And how to deal with this?

Lactase insufficiency (LN) is a disease in which the activity of lactase digestion decreases. In this case, undigested lactose causes water to enter the intestines from the body, resulting in a baby having a loose stool.

Lactase insufficiency in newborns. Kinds

• Primary LN (occurs very rarely) is a condition when lactase activity decreases, but the enterocytes that produce it are not damaged. This type of lactase deficiency is divided into congenital and transient. The last LN is most often found in immature children, or in premature infants. This condition passes with time, and the process of lactase production is restored.
• Secondary LN appears in some disease, which results in damage to enterocytes. More often lactase deficiency of the given kind arises at an allergic inflammation in an intestine which is caused by a food allergy.

Causes of lactase deficiency :

• Unripened enzymes of the intestine and stomach, especially in premature infants ;
• Various intestinal infections;
• Food allergies (mainly on cow's milk protein or antibiotics).

Lactase insufficiency. Symptoms:

• Liquid (often with a sour smell and foamy) stool;
• Loss of appetite ;
• Constant enhanced gassing;
• Severe anxiety of the baby at the beginning of breastfeeding, followed by a rejection at all;
• A bad weight gain or loss.

Diagnosis of the disease .

In order to confirm the presence of this disease, you need to contact the pediatrician who will write a referral for the analysis, which will help to determine the amount of carbohydrates contained in the stool.

Lactase insufficiency. Treatment

If the baby eats adapted infant formula, then for the time of treatment, they will have to be slightly limited or replaced with a no-or low-lactose. In this case, the transfer to a new type of feeding is done gradually in 2-3 days. In the event that a child receives breast milk, in the event of this disease, in no case should you refuse breastfeeding. Just need 15-20 minutes before feeding into the expressed milk to add special preparations. They help the cleavage of the enzyme lactase. Alternatively, it is possible to replace a portion of the breastfeeding feeds with low-alkaline mixtures.

If such a diet is observed, lactase activity is restored, and after a few days the baby's condition improves significantly - colic passes and diarrhea decreases.

If lactase deficiency affects adults and children after a year, the only way to solve the problem is to completely refuse milk, or to replace it with special low-lactose products. In this case, children should limit the consumption of confectionery products with milk fillers (caramel, cream, milk candy).