Lactose intolerance. Recognizing the link between diet and discomfort.

Lactose intolerance is a common disorder encountered in clinical practice. Evaluation involves obtaining a thorough nutritional history and recognizing associations between diet and gastrointestinal complaints. Lack of suspicion of the problem can lead to expensive and invasive diagnostic procedures, which may further aggravate patients' anxiety and result in iatrogenic complications. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, simple dietary management may resolve symptoms completely.