A 60-year-old man presents with recurrent abdominal pain, bloating, and watery diarrhea for the past six months. He notices that the symptoms get worse after eating dairy products. What could be the diagnosis and next steps?
This patient's symptoms are suggestive of lactose intolerance, which is an inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and dairy products. The next step would be to conduct a lactose intolerance test or a hydrogen breath test. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the patient should be advised to avoid lactose-containing foods or to take lactase enzyme supplements when consuming such foods.