title: The clinical significance of lactose intolerance.
abstract: Lactose intolerance may give rise to a variety of gastro enterological symptoms depending on the degree of lactase deficiency present. A percentage of patients may be asymtomatic, but the presence of lactose in their diet leads to inadequate absorption of a variety of important nutrients resulting in deficiency disorders or less than optimal weight gain. The increase in migration from southern Europe and of late from Indo-China significantly increases the Australian population likely to be lactase-deficient. Many immigrants keen to adapt to the Australian way of life see milk as a new essential part of their diet. This, accompanied with a lack of basic English as a language, may compound the problem of diagnosis in these patients particularly if the medical practitioner is unaware of the syndrome. The ready availability of lactose-hydrolyzed milk powder as a Pharmaceutical Benefit should allow all patients to gain the nutritional advantage of milk without suffering the complications associated with lactose intolerance.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D007787:Lactose Intolerance / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007792:Lactulose / Q000032:analysis; D008892:Milk / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009512:New Guinea / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D007792:Lactulose