Current status of lactose intolerance in children

Lactose is a widely distributed disaccharide in the diet and pharmaceutical industries. It is the sugar from the milk of mammals. The loss of intestinal lactase activity with age is frequent. It varies between ethnic and genetic conditions, and may cause its malabsorption. It may also be secondary to intestinal mucosal damage and, rarely, to congenital deficiency. Malabsorption does not necessarily imply clinical intolerance, with gastrointestinal symptoms after its ingestion. The exclusion of lactose from the diet produces clinical improvement but it could lead to a defect in the recommended daily intake of other nutrients such as calcium. It can be reintroduced into the diet but there is an individual clinical threshold of tolerance.