Lactose intolerance is almost four times more common among patients with inflammatory bowel disease compared with the general population in the United States, a large database study has shown.
The researchers said health care providers should start screening for lactose intolerance in symptomatic IBD patients to ensure the condition isn’t mimicking IBD symptoms.
“It’s important for GIs to know that lactose intolerance is common in IBD and may cause symptoms,” Miguel Regueiro, MD, of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, told Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News. “When patients have symptoms—especially diarrhea, flatulence, bloating and gas—but testing for objective inflammation is negative, you should think about lactose intolerance as a cause.”