Is lactose intolerance ever confused with milk allergy?
Milk allergy is a whole different clinical condition where one is allergic to the protein in milk. Milk allergy is an immune response rather than an altered response of normal digestion. Typically, the symptoms are quite different. An allergic reaction can involve swelling around the mouth and tongue, hives, asthma, shortness of breath and gastrointestinal complaints. Most very young children don’t have lactose intolerance show up until the teenage years and beyond, whereas milk allergy is most likely to present in the first two years of life. Are there degrees of lactose intolerance? People can have varying degrees of intolerance. They can be very sensitive to the maldigestion of lactose, or they can tolerate some lactose in their diet. A lot of it has to do with individual sensitivity; that relates, in part, to how much actual lactase is in their intestines. For example, some people can have a glass of milk and get symptoms of bloating and diarrhea, and for others a tablespoon in the
