I had a disturbing conversation with someone today. She told me her son is lactose intolerant and if he has a tiny bit of lactose (say ice cream) he will break out in a rash that sounds like DH to me. Elbows/back of knees...looks like a heat rash. He was not formally tested for LI as he was or is too young. Okay, now Dr. Rudert said that LI can mimic Celiac since healthy villi are needed to break down lactose. Could someone have Celiac instead of LI even if they eat gluten-free ice cream that will cause the rash? If alot of lactose is ingested GI symptoms also appear but of course that is a normal with LI anyway. What do you expert Mothers think?

People can have celiac disease and lactose intolerance. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, antibodies attack the small intestine and destroy the tips of the villi. The tips of the villi contain the enzyme to break down lactose; therefore, when the villi are damaged, individuals cannot digest lactose very well, if at all.

The rash could be dh, or it could be an allergy to milk, wheat, or another food.

My daughter, now 3, has always been known to us as lactose intolerant. When she went gluten-free in July 2005, her dr told me that after about 6 months, enough healing should be done that if her L.I. was due to celiac it should go away. Sure enough, she's been on cow's milk for over a month now and she's doing great. We didn't know she had celiac disease until July 2005, but her lactose intolerance was a big diagnosing factor for her doctor.

==================================================================

My daughter has C.D. symptoms and a dairy allergy. She is just over 2, awaiting a biopsy.

Vanessa.

My son was mis-diagnosed as lactose intollerant at 2 years old. It took the gastric doctor until he was 10. He had his first celiac bioposy at 3 which came back negative (they actually got a healthy tissue). Poopy diapers were a nightmare. His bottom would bleed. Since he's been gluten-free he enjoys milk, ice cream and cheese (his favorite).