title: Prevalence and Symptom Correlation of Lactose Intolerance in the North East Part of Bangladesh.
abstract: This study was designed to see the prevalence of lactose intolerance and symptom correlation following oral lactose challenge in healthy volunteers in the north east part of Bangladesh. Symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea, borborygmi, flatulence, diarrhea and others were noted for 24 hours and blood glucose was estimated at 0 hour and 30 minutes after 50 gm oral lactose load to healthy volunteers. Failure to rise blood glucose level ≥1.1 mmol/l at 30 minutes after lactose intake from fasting level was taken as lactose malabsorption (LM) i.e., lactose intolerance. Sensitivity and specificity of different symptoms were then found out. A total of 171 volunteers (male 123, female 48) with a mean age 34.08 years participated in this study. Lactose intolerance was found among 82.5% (n=141, M=100, F=41) subjects. Symptoms mostly experience by the lactose malabsorbers were diarrhea 93(66.0%), borborygmi 80(56.7%), abdominal pain 31(22.0%) and flatulence 32(22.7%). LM prevalence was found to increase with increasing number of symptoms up to 3 symptoms. A week positive correlation (r=0.205, P=0.007) was found between the number of symptoms and proportion of subjects having positive lactose tolerance test. Lactose intolerance among healthy adults of North East part of our country is as common as in other Asian countries including China and Malaysia. But LM is higher than that of Europeans and south Indians. Diarrhea and borborygmi were mostly associated with LM.
authors.affiliation: Dr Madhusudan Saha, Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, North East Medical College, Sylhet, Bangladesh; E-mail: madhunibedita@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Shil
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Perveen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Banik
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Rahman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007785:Lactose / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007787:Lactose Intolerance / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007789:Lactose Tolerance Test; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007785:Lactose