Lactose intolerance is characterized by the inability to digest lactose in milk and dairy products and is the most common form of food intolerance.

Lactose is a disaccharide that cannot be absorbed into the intestine as such, but it needs to be split into two monosaccharides (glucose and galactose). When lactase, the body’s own enzyme is missing, the split process cannot take place, and after about 30-120 minutes of eating lactose-containing foods, signs of intolerance appear.

! It is important to distinguish between lactose intolerance and milk allergy. Lactose intolerance is a problem of the digestive system because of the insufficient activity of the lactase enzyme decomposing lactose), while milk allergy is an immune reaction to one or more proteins in cow’s milk. Symptoms of lactose intolerance become apparent in early childhood or adolescence.

Recommendations for genetic testing:

• Suspicion of milk intolerance;
• Abdominal flatulence, diarrhea, colic, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and headache after consumption of lactose containing products;
• Differential diagnosis between primary and secondary intolerance (celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis);
• Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome;
• Hypoglycemia of unspecified cause.                         

Genetic testing to determine the predisposition to lactose intolerance is a test in which a venous blood sample is collected, the DNA is isolated and the polymorphism encoding the lactose-metabolizing enzyme is established. This method is not based on identifying the symptoms and consequences of intolerance, but reveals the cause of the problem itself – genetic predisposition. It is revealed whether there is a genetic basis for a possible manifestation of intolerance or not. Detecting the genetic basis of intolerance before the symptoms is important because changing diets can help avoid symptoms. Testing is important because in case of a positive result, the proper diet can solve the problem. In case of a negative result, lactose intolerance can be eliminated as a cause of digestive problems and other tests should be performed to associate the present symptoms with another diagnosis (the secondary cause of lactose maldigestion is the lesion of the intestinal mucosa due to celiac disease, infectious enteritis, Crohn’s disease, persistent diarrhea, etc..).

Investigation method: polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Investigated biological material: venous blood.

Release deadline: 7 working days.