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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffFactors that can make you or your child more prone to lactose intolerance include:
- Increasing age. Lactose intolerance becomes more common as you age — the condition is uncommon in babies and young children.
- Ethnicity. Lactose intolerance is most common in black, Asian, Hispanic and American Indian people.
- Premature birth. Infants born prematurely may have reduced levels of lactase because this enzyme increases in the fetus late in the third trimester.
- Diseases affecting the small intestine. Small intestine problems that can cause lactose intolerance include bacterial overgrowth, celiac disease and Crohn's disease.
- Certain cancer treatments. If you have received radiation therapy for cancer in your abdomen or have intestinal complications from chemotherapy, you have an increased risk of lactose intolerance.
References
- Montgomery RK, et al. Lactose intolerance. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Jan. 29, 2012.
- Lactose intolerance. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance/. Accessed Jan. 29, 2012.
- Siddiqui Z. Selected disorders of malabsorption. Primary Care: Clinics Office Practice. 2011;38:395.
- Marchiondo K. Lactose intolerance: A nursing perspective. Medsurg Nursing. 2009;18:9.
- 5. Lactose intolerance and health. Rockville, Md.: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/lactinttp.htm. Accessed Jan. 29, 2012.
- Shaukat A, et al. Systematic review: Effective management strategies for lactose intolerance. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2010;152:797.
- Picco MF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. Feb. 6, 2012.
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