Prevalence of lactose intolerance among natives and expats in Kuwait | ||
| Global Gastroenterology | ||
| Volume 1, Issue 1, August 2023 PDF (268.93 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Articles | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/gg.2023.202284.1006 | ||
| Authors | ||
| ahmad alfahdli1; Mohamed Alboraie2; Altaf Alqadeeri3; Mohamed Elfar1; Abhijit Dangi1; Mostafa Afifi4; Mohamed Nour5; Reem Ezzat* 6; Motaz Fathy Saad7 | ||
| 1Haya Al-Habeeb gastroenterology center, Mubarak Al-Kabeer hospital, Kuwait | ||
| 2Department of Internal Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt | ||
| 3Department of Medicine, Mubarak Al-Kabeer hospital, Kuwait | ||
| 4Department of Gastroenterology, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Chorley, UK | ||
| 5Faculty of Public Health & Health Informatics, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia | ||
| 6Lecturer of internal medicine, Assuit university hospitals | ||
| 7International Medical Centre | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Prevalence of lactose intolerance is not clear due to diversity and methodological limitations in the published literature [1].Studies from the Middle East region, especially Kuwait, are limited.Lactase activity assay in small bowel biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing lactose malabsorption,but it is not used as being invasive with availability of non-invasive tests [2].Aims:We aimed at comparing the prevalence of lactose intolerance among Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaiti expats resident in Kuwait.117 consecutive patients were recruited from our outpatient clinics (52 Kuwaitis and 65 non-Kuwaitis).Patients were enrolled if they have symptoms of lactose intolerance.Patients were subjected to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and two post bulbar duodenal biopsies were tested using the Quick Lactase Test assays (Biohit Oyj, Helsinki, Finland) [5].Results were reported and interpreted according to manufacturer recommendations.Results: Our study included 117 patients (44.4% Kuwaitis and 55.6% non-Kuwaiti) with mean age (±SD)42.1(±13.5) years including 70 females (59.8%).diarrhea was present in(14.5 %),abdominal pain in(65.8 %), abdominal bloating in(53.8 %)and flatulence in(36.8 %)of the studied groups.There were no significant differences between Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis in regard to symptoms of lactose intolerance or demographic data. Lactose intolerance was positive in 96 patients(82.1%),of which severe lactose intolerance was reported in 65 cases (67.7 %)while mild lactose intolerance was reported in 31 cases(32.3%).All patients express symptoms of lactose intolerance; however only flatulence was significantly increased in patients having severe lactose intolerance.Conclusion Lactose intolerance is highly prevalent among Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaiti patients having symptoms suggestive of lactose intolerance.Flatulence was the most significant symptoms associated with lactose intolerance in Kuwait. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| malabsorption; Gulf area; diarrhea | ||
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