What is the Difference Between Celiac Disease and Lactose Intolerance

The key difference between celiac disease and lactose intolerance is that celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten consumption, while lactose intolerance is a metabolic food disease involving the inability to digest lactose, mainly in milk and dairy products.

Celiac disease and lactose intolerance are two related diseases. This is because lactose intolerance is often a common symptom of celiac disease. In patients with celiac disease, the small intestine is damaged, and there will not be enough lactase enzymes to digest lactose in the milk. Moreover, lactose intolerance in these celiac disease patients usually resolves itself after following a strict gluten-free diet.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Celiac Disease
3. What is Lactose Intolerance
4. Similarities – Celiac Disease and Lactose Intolerance
5. Celiac Disease vs Lactose Intolerance in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Celiac Disease vs Lactose Intolerance

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is a type of autoimmune disease triggered by gluten consumption. In this disease, a person’s own immune system attacks the gut if he or she eats gluten. This damages the gut, so that person is unable to take in nutrients. Gluten is a protein that can be found in a variety of foods, including pasta, cakes, breakfast cereals, most types of bread, certain types of sauces, and some ready-made meals. The symptoms of celiac disease include diarrhea, stomachache, bloating, indigestion, constipation, tiredness, unintentional weight loss, an itchy rash, problems getting pregnant, nerve damage, and disorders affecting coordination such as balance and speech. Moreover, children with celiac disease may not grow at the expected rate and may have delayed puberty.

Celiac disease can be diagnosed through serology testing, genetic testing (testing for human leukocyte antigens; HLA-DQ2 AND HLA-DQ8), endoscopy, and capsule endoscopy. Treatments for celiac disease include a strict lifelong gluten-free diet, vitamin and mineral supplements for conditions like anemia or nutritional deficiencies, and medicines like steroids, azathioprine, and budesonide for inflammations.

What is Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose intolerance is a metabolic food disease that is due to the inability to digest lactose. To be specific, lactose is the sugar in milk and dairy products. Lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine does not produce enough lactase enzyme to digest the milk sugar lactose. The reduction of lactase enzyme can be due to injury or inheritance (autosomal recessive pattern). The common symptoms of lactose intolerance include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, bloating, and gas. The risk factors for lactose intolerance include increasing age (adulthood more risk), ethnicity (African, Asian, Hispanic, American Indian descent), diseases affecting the small intestine, and certain cancer treatments.

Moreover, lactose intolerance can be diagnosed through a hydrogen breath test, lactose tolerance test, and blood test. Furthermore, the treatments for lactose intolerance include choosing smaller servings of dairy, saving milk for meal time, experimenting with assortments of dairy products, buying lactose-reduced or lactose-free dairy products, and using lactase enzyme tablets or drops.

What are the Similarities Between Celiac Disease and Lactose Intolerance?

• Celiac disease and lactose intolerance are two related diseases.
• Lactose intolerance is often a common symptom of celiac disease.
• Both diseases can be diagnosed through blood tests.
• They can be mainly treated through restricting diets.

What is the Difference Between Celiac Disease and Lactose Intolerance?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten consumption, while lactose intolerance is a metabolic food disease that occurs due to the inability to digest lactose, which is the sugar found in milk and dairy products. Thus, this is the key difference between celiac disease and lactose intolerance. Furthermore, the risk factors for celiac disease include a family member with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis, type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, autoimmune thyroid disease, microscopic colitis, and Addison’s disease. On the other hand, the risk factors for lactose intolerance include increasing age (adulthood more risk), ethnicity (African, Asian, Hispanic, American Indian descent), diseases affecting the small intestine, and certain cancer treatments.

The below infographic presents the differences between celiac disease and lactose intolerance in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Celiac Disease vs Lactose Intolerance

Celiac disease and lactose intolerance are two related diseases. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten consumption. Lactose intolerance is a metabolic food disease involving the inability to digest lactose found in milk and dairy products. So, this is the key difference between celiac disease and lactose intolerance.

Reference:

1. “Celiac Disease.” NHS Choices, NHS.
2. “Lactose Intolerance.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Coeliac Disease” By WikipedianProlific (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Worldwide prevalence of lactose intolerance in recent populations” By NmiPortal – Own work / Food Intolerance Network (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia