Prevalência de intolerância à lactose em laboratório privado da cidade de Maringá - PR

Abstract

Lactase is the enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of lactose into glucose and galactose that will be absorbed by enterocytes during digestion. Hypolactasia causes changes in this process with consequent accumulation of lactose in the intestinal lumen, which can cause abdominal symptoms, characterizing lactose intolerance (IL). Many individuals with gastrointestinal disorders refer to being intolerant without diagnostic evaluation and restricting dairy products from the diet. However, other pathologies have similar symptoms and food restriction can cause unnecessary damage to health. There is variability in responses to hypolactasia and also different geographical distribution of populations of individuals who are tolerant or not due to cultural and ethnic influences, indicating the importance of knowing the general aspects of this disorder and the profile of the affected population so that the health professional has subsidies in directing the appropriate treatment for each type of patient. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of lactose intolerant individuals who underwent examinations in a private laboratory between March 2018 and March 2020, correlating positive cases with sex and age group. During the period analyzed, 1041 patients underwent the Oral Lactose Tolerance Test, indicating a predominance (54.8%) of intolerants. There was no significant difference between sex and age group in relation to the tolerance profile, but the results showed that more women and individuals between 20 and 39 years old sought the laboratory to perform the test. The data obtained corroborate with other studies, indicating a high prevalence of lactose intolerance in most of the population.