Decline of lactase activity and C/T-13910 variant in sardinian childhood

OBJECTIVES: Our study aims to determine the age of onset of adult-type hypolactasia in Sardinians, and to establish the age at which genotyping of the C/T-13910 variant can be used reliably in the diagnosis of lactose malabsorption. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A lactose breath hydrogen test was given to 383 randomly selected patients, from 3 to 19 years old. RESULTS: The C/C-13910 genotype was found in 90% of patients; the frequency of the positive lactose breath hydrogen test increased with age and reached a prevalence of 85% at 9 years. CONCLUSIONS: In Sardinians, adult-type hypolactasia becomes phenotypically evident in all individuals older than 9 years, suggesting that this should be considered the minimum age at which the genetic test for lactase nonpersistence should be applied. © 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.