Patient was educated on lactose intolerance as follows:
- Lactose intolerance is a condition that arises when individuals have problem with digesting lactose, which is a sugar found in milk.
- Individuals with this disorder are deficient in an enzyme, lactase, produced and secreted in the small intestine, for the digestion of the sugar lactose in milk and milk products.
- Since these individuals are deficient in lactase, dairy products are poorly digested and tolerated by them.
- Patients with this disorder present with symptoms of indigestion, such as, abdominal fullness, abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas formation, belching, and diarrhea, after consuming dairy products.
- Individuals with this disorder present with symptoms that can vary widely in severity, correlating with the degree of lactase deficiency. Patients with severe deficiency of lactase are intolerant to dairy products and patients with mild deficiency of the enzyme can tolerate dairy products to some extent.
