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health

Signs of Dairy Intolerance in Children

Introduction

Every mother is a nutritionist for her children, and that’s why she takes good care of their diet. A mother knows the importance of milk and other dairy products, including yogurt and cream, for growth and health.

But the worst part is that some mothers don’t even know that their children cannot digest those dairy items. That’s why their children complain of tummy aches most of the time.

If your child often reports any pain in his abdominal region after taking a sip of milk or having a lick of ice cream, he may also be suffering from dairy intolerance.

The best way to figure it out is a dairy intolerance test. But the thing is, just having tummy aches cannot help to indicate dairy intolerance. There are other signs and symptoms, which means dairy intolerance should be investigated early as soon as one of these signs is seen.

There are some common indications of dairy intolerance mentioned in this post. Noticing the signs early and reacting is key to dealing with dairy intolerance. 

man drinking milk

 

Common signs:

You need a report of dairy intolerance test to treat your child against the disease. It would be best if you observed whether your child has any of the following symptoms before bringing him for testing

  •         Bloating
  •         Diarrhoea
  •         Abdominal pain
  •         Intestinal gas
  •         Foul Smelling of faeces

If any signs are present, visit the doctor and seek treatment.

Dairy Intolerance and Milk Allergy:

If you match up with these signs you need to go for a dairy intolerance test immediately as this disease shares most signs with milk allergy. Although, milk allergy is entirely a different medical condition. Milk allergy is caused by the body’s immune response against the milk proteins and components However, the immune system is efficient enough to differentiate between bacteria, viruses, and endoparasites. But unfortunately, due to any mutation or error, the immune cells identify milk components harmful to the body and generate an immune response against them. It is an auto-immune disease, just like celiac disease, due to gluten in the diet.

What are the reasons for Dairy Intolerance in Children?

Parents get worried after knowing that their children suffer from a critical health problem. However, dairy intolerance is not a harmful medical condition at all. It can be treated by following some preventive measures and medications if the root cause of the disease is known. There are two primary reasons which cause dairy intolerance in children, which are as follows:

Genetic Factor:

Sometimes, a child suffers from this medical condition after taking his first breath. Because of their genetic makeup, he lacks the genes responsible for the digestion of lactose. And that’s why the doctors prescribe condensed milk to some kids when they are on their mom’s lap.

Gut Infection or Disease:

If the child is suffering or has recently recovered from any gut infection, then it may be because of it. Or there may be due to the damaged cell lining of the intestine in case of celiac disease.

Conclusion:

The disease can be cured by following some simple instructions from the physician and strictly following the diet plan by the nutritionist. Thank God this disease doesn’t have any adverse effects; otherwise, gastric illness can lead to conditions like cancer.