Year 2015 / Volume 107 / Number 9
Original
THE MANAGEMENT OF LACTOSE INTOLERANCE AMONG PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS AND ITS CORRELATION WITH MANAGEMENT BY GASTROENTEROLOGISTS: THE SEPD-SEMG NATIONAL SURVEY

553-558

DOI: 10.17235/reed.2015.3771/2015

Federico Argüelles Arias, Pilar Rodríguez Ledo, Jose Maria Tenias, Mercedes Otero, Francesc Casellas Jordá, Guadalupe Blay Cortés, Alfredo José Lucendo Villarín, José Luis Domínguez Jiménez, Fernando Carballo Alvarez,

Abstract
INTRODUCTION The understanding of lactose intolerance (LI) is limited in some professional settings. Sociedad Española de Patología Digestiva (SEPD) and Sociedad Española de Medicina General (SEMG) have developed a survey in order to: a) Analyze primary care physicians (PCPs) knowledge and clinical management; b) Compare results with those of a previous survey of Spanish gastroenterologists (GEs). MATERIAL AND METHODS An online questionnaire was sent to SEMG members with 27 items on various issues: Demographics, occupational characteristics, outlook on LI, diagnostic tests, treatment, and follow-up. Results were compared to those from a survey of GEs. RESULTS A total of 456 PCPs responded, versus 477 GEs. PCPs had an older mean age and longer professional experience. Level of understanding of LI was similar, albeit a higher proportion of PCPs lacked epidemiological awareness (p<0.01). GEs tended to consider LI a “minor” condition (71.3 vs 40.1%; p>0.001), and LI symptoms as overlapping those of irritable bowel syndrome (93.5 vs 88.2%; p=0.005), although symptoms perceived as suspicious of LI were similar in both groups. Dietary recommendations were recognized as the primary therapeutic approach. CONCLUSION This study reveals the outlook of PCPs on LI, and allows comparison with that of GEs, as a basis for the development of strategies aimed at improving LI understanding, approach and management in our setting.
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Argüelles Arias F, Rodríguez Ledo P, Tenias J, Otero M, Casellas Jordá F, Blay Cortés G, et all. THE MANAGEMENT OF LACTOSE INTOLERANCE AMONG PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS AND ITS CORRELATION WITH MANAGEMENT BY GASTROENTEROLOGISTS: THE SEPD-SEMG NATIONAL SURVEY. 3771/2015


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Publication history

Received: 15/03/2015

Accepted: 30/05/2015

Online First: 20/07/2015

Published: 29/08/2015

Article revision time: 74 days

Article Online First time: 127 days

Article editing time: 167 days


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