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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffA few risk factors can make you or your child more prone to lactose intolerance:
- Age. Lactose intolerance usually starts after age 5 — the condition is uncommon in babies and young children. A child with chronic diarrhea before age 1 usually has another underlying problem.
- Ethnicity. Lactose intolerance is more common in certain ethnic and racial populations. Lactose intolerance is more common in black, Asian, Hispanic and American Indian populations.
- Premature birth. Infants born prematurely (28 to 32 weeks of gestation) may have reduced levels of lactase, because this enzyme increases in the fetus late in the third trimester.
