Hypercalcemia and nephrocalcinosis in patients with congenital lactase deficiency.

We describe 11 infants with congenital lactase deficiency, whose age at diagnosis varied from 6 to 88 days. At the time of admission, 7 of 10 infants had hypercalcemia. Five of the seven infants for whom renal ultrasonography was performed at the time of diagnosis had medullary nephrocalcinosis. Hypercalcemia ceased within a week of the start of a lactose-free diet. At the time of reevaluation, at the ages of 2 to 10 years, one of the patients still had hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis was still present in 3 of 11 patients. The mechanism of hypercalcemia is unclear but may be related to metabolic acidosis or may be promoted by the lactose effect (i.e., by nonhydrolyzed lactose that has a direct enhancing effect on calcium absorption in the ileum).