Probably everyone is well aware that breast milk is the best food for a newborn. After all, it contains all those necessary vitamins and minerals that are needed for the development of the baby in the first months of life. But recently, many children have been diagnosed with lactase deficiency. What is it? And how to deal with it?
Lactase deficiency (LN) is a disease in which the activity of lactase cleavage is reduced. In this case, undigested lactose causes water to enter the intestines from the body, as a result of which the baby develops
loose stools.Lactase deficiency in newborns. Kinds
- Primary LN (very rare) is a condition where the activity of lactase decreases, but the enterocytes that produce it are not damaged. This type of lactase deficiency is divided into congenital and transient. The latter is most often found in immature infants or premature infants. This condition passes over time, and the process of lactase production is restored.
- Secondary LN occurs with any disease that results in damage to enterocytes. Most often, lactase deficiency of this type occurs with allergic inflammation in the intestine, which is caused by food allergies.
Causes of lactase deficiency :
- unripe intestinal and stomach enzymes, especially in premature babies ;
- various intestinal infections;
- food allergies (mainly cow's milk protein or antibiotics).
Lactase deficiency. Symptoms- runny (often sour and frothy) stools;
- loss of appetite
- constant increased gas formation;
- severe anxiety of the baby at the beginning of breastfeeding, with subsequent abandonment of it at all;
- poor weight gain or loss.
Diagnosis of the disease .
In order to confirm the presence of this disease, you need to contact a pediatrician who will write out a direction for taking an analysis that will help to identify the amount of carbohydrates contained in the feces.
Lactase deficiency. Treatment
If the baby eats adapted
infant formula, then during treatment they will have to be slightly limited or replaced with non-or low-lactose ones. At the same time, the transfer to a new type of feeding is carried out gradually in 2-3 days. In the event that the baby receives breast milk, in the event of the onset of this disease, in no case should you refuse to breast-feed. You just need to add special drugs to the expressed milk 15-20 minutes before feeding. They help break down the
lactase enzyme. Or, you can replace part of the breast milk feeds with low-lactose mixtures.
With such a diet, lactase activity is restored, and after a few days the baby's condition improves significantly - colic disappears and diarrhea decreases.
If lactase deficiency affects adults and children after a year, the only way to solve the problem is to completely abandon milk, or replace it with special low-lactose products. At the same time, children should limit the consumption of confectionery with milk fillers (caramel, cream, milk sweets).