It's no secret that the best food for a newborn is breast milk. After all, this is a unique product that contains all the vitamins and minerals necessary for a small body. But sometimes the baby’s body is not able to fully absorb mom’s milk. In this case, they say that there is a lactose deficiency. In infants , every mother should know the symptoms of this ailment, since this is a rather serious pathological deviation.
Lactose is a milk sugar that is not absorbed independently in the intestines. First, the body must break it down into galactose and glucose using a special enzyme - lactase. If this enzyme is produced in insufficient quantities, the absorption of lactose is impaired.
Lactose deficiency in infants: symptoms
You can determine the disease by the following main signs:
Foamy loose stools of green color with a pungent odor. White stools may be observed in the stool. The number of bowel movements can reach 10-12 times a day.
Due to increased fermentation and gas formation in the stomach, an increase in the intensity of intestinal colic occurs.
An increase in the frequency and amount of regurgitation, the appearance of vomiting.
In especially severe cases, poor weight gain and developmental delays are diagnosed.
If there are signs of lactose deficiency in the baby, it is necessary to consult a doctor in the near future. With the help of special tests, the doctor will confirm or refute the diagnosis, if necessary, prescribe the appropriate treatment. Necessary analyzes include: a study of feces for the detection of carbohydrates, as well as determination of gas concentration, fecal pH, lactase activity.
Varieties of lactose deficiency
Depending on the origin, the primary and secondary form of the disease is distinguished. Primary lactose deficiency can be congenital, transistor, genetically determined. The secondary form of insufficiency appears due to intestinal infections, allergies and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
There is also a phenomenon such as lactose overload. This problem occurs if a large amount of milk is produced in a nursing mother, as a result the baby eats more “front” milk saturated with lactose.
Lactose deficiency in infants: treatment
It should be understood that the treatment of this pathology is individual in each case. The baby should be treated only when the final diagnosis is made. If only one or two signs of the disease are detected, then, of course, it is necessary to pass tests. Treatment of such a pathology as lactose deficiency in infants, the symptoms of which are clinically confirmed, must begin with replacing the mixture if the baby is breast-fed. If the baby eats breast milk, then mother will be prescribed special medications that help break down lactose. The recommended dose of the drug is dissolved in pre-expressed milk and fed to the child. In addition, before feeding, it is recommended for mother to express lactose-rich “front” milk.
If lactose deficiency is the primary form, then, unfortunately, the body can never absorb lactose. In the future, this will lead to a complete rejection of dairy products. If the symptoms of the secondary form of lactose deficiency are confirmed, then lactose digestion will be adjusted in the baby after he reaches the age of one and a half years.
If there is a suspicion that there is a lactose deficiency in the baby, the symptoms must be confirmed by a specialist, and only then can actions be taken to eliminate this condition.