hi chicagomom!
Yes my DS has an enzyme deficiency - called CSID (congenital sucrase isomaltase deficiency) which is also sometimes called sucrose intolerance. Basically sucrase digests sucrose, which is found in table sugar and many fruits and vegetables, and isomaltase digests starch found in potatoes, pasta, bread, etc.
There is a FDA-approved supplement for sucrose which is called Sucraid but we currently do not have access to it here in Canada. There is also a natural product to help with starch digestion which we have started using since last week and we already have a tremendous improvement. It's called Kirkman's Carbdigest enzymes. I can't believe the difference with my DS already.
CSID can be genetic, or it can result from a trauma to the digestive tract.
To test for it they need to do a scope, and take biopsies which will be sent to the lab to measure 4 specific enzymes to digest complex sugars -lactase, maltase, palatinase and sucrase. I believe they can also do something called a hydrogen breath test, which is less invasive, but my DS was too young for that. When it's not genetic usually all enzyme levels will be low (including lactase).
Here is a site with more info on CSID
http://www.csidinfo.com and there is also a facebook and yahoo group which I can give you the link for if you're interested. I've done tons of research on that so feel free to PM me if you need more info.
I was reading up on enzymes after having such an improvement and I came accross that article which I found interesting. I haven't trialled dairy yet, DS has been off dairy since 2 months old, and he's not yet having a varied diet so we're waiting until he has a good diet before we try dairy but I will probably consider adding a multi-enzyme when I do in case it helps.
So your DS is doing much better now?
