How Do You Know If Your Kid Has Lactose Or Casein Intolerance?

[The Horticulturalist]

My son (7) was diagnosed with celiac (+ve bloods and biopsy) about a month ago. prior to that his symptoms really have been mild and infrequent, occasional diarrhea every couple of months and mild abdominal pain with the same time frame. I had him tested because I suspect I have celiac and have been unwell over the last year.

So, yesterday for the first time since going gluten free he had diarrhea, he was not unwell and it was only one trip to the bathroom. This morning he told me that his tummy hurt right after he had a drink of milk.

So I'm now questioning whether he has an issue with lactose, casein or both. He has cheese, yoghurt and milk every day and this is the first time I've wondered if there was an issue with dairy.

Anyone had a similar experience? how would I know if it was lactose or casein or both? I don't want to make him sicker,but I also don't want to exclude dairy unnecessarily. Not sure what to do.

[AzizaRivers]

The easiest thing to do would be to cut out all dairy for about a week, and then give him something straight (like yogurt or a glass of milk; not cheese as some cheese are lower in lactose and wouldn't give a clear result) to have and see if that does anything. If he continues to be sick during the week before, then it might be more complicated.

Of course, that test, even if "positive" wouldn't tell you whether the problem was with lactose or casein. Not that it really matters, as the treatment is the same: no dairy (or reduced dairy depending on how he tolerates it).

Now, if the problem is a milk allergy (different than intolerances to lactose or casein) then you probably wouldn't want him to have it at all. You can take him to a doctor and ask how they recommend you test him, but the elimination test above is very simple and doesn't require any doctor's trips, and you could just go from there.