Milk Intolerance Following Gastric Surgery

Abstract

Among 95 patients operated upon for peptic ulcer milk intolerance in a strict sense, i. e. milk invariably produced ‘abdominal’ symptoms, was present in 35 (37 per cent). Lactose malabsorption was found in 7 cases. The incidence of milk intolerance was about twice as high among patients operated with a Billroth Il resection as among patients operated with a Billroth I resection or a vagotomy + pyloroplastic procedure. In 20 per cent of patients with chronic diarrhea, the diarrhea could be ascribed to lactose malabsorption. Seventy per cent of all patients developed ‘abdominal’ symptoms during sugar tolerance tests. There was no significant difference between the symptoms during LTT and GGTT.

Key-words:

• Gastrectomy
• lactose malabsorption
• milk intolerance
• stomach