Medical history and physical examination for lactose intolerance
Medical history
Asking questions about your medical history is an important part of diagnosing lactose intolerance. Your doctor may ask you about:
- Your symptoms and when they occur. To help make a diagnosis, your doctor may ask you to keep track of what and when you eat and the type of symptoms you have.
- Recent illnesses, long-term diseases, or surgeries involving your stomach or intestines.
- Your family history of lactose intolerance.
- Your ethnic background. Most people in the world become somewhat lactose-intolerant as adults. People with a northern European heritage usually are the exception.
If your baby may have lactose intolerance, you may be asked if he or she:
- Has diarrhea often.
- Seems hungry all the time.
- Has gained little or no weight.
- Seems irritable.
Physical examination
The physical examination for lactose intolerance includes examining your belly. You may also be asked to bring in a sample of your stool. The stool of a person with lactose intolerance is usually loose or watery. It also can be foamy.
| Author: | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH Ralph Poore | Last Updated: October 3, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology | |
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