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Bed wetting and Nocturnal Enuresis

Nocturnal enuresis is defined as the involuntary passage of urine during sleep. Diurnal enuresis refers to the involuntary or intentional voiding of urine into clothing while awake. Primary nocturnal enuresis is bed-wetting that has been present since birth, and secondary nocturnal enuresis is enuresis that occurs after being dry for a minimum of 6 months. Evaluation of nocturnal enuresis is usually not necessary unless the problem persists after 4 years of age after potty training.

Prevalence/Epidemiology

Most bed-wetting is due to a maturational delay, and it becomes less frequent with each passing year of life.

At age 5, 20% of children wet the nocturnal enuresis, enuresis, bed wetting, bedwetting bed at least monthly, with 5% of boys and 1% of girls wetting the bed nightly. By age 6, only 10% of children wet the bed. Thereafter, 15% of bed-wetters become dry each year. Overall, 60% of bed-wetters and more than 90% of nightly bed-wetters are male.

Etiology

Physiologic Enuresis

Most children who have primary nocturnal enuresis have no disease mechanism to explain the enuresis, and they are considered to have physiologic enuresis. Enuresis results from inability to recognize the sensation of a full bladder during sleep and to awaken from sleep to urinate into the toilet. Those children who wet nightly usually also have a small bladder, which is unable to hold all the urine produced during the night. Clues to a small capacity are daytime frequency, and wetness every night.

Enuresis has a genetic nocturnal enuresis, enuresis, bed wetting, bedwetting predisposition. If one parent was a bed-wetter, the probability of offspring having  enuresis is 45%. If both parents were bed-wetters, the probability of enuresis is 77%.

Evaluation of Nocturnal Enuresis

Treatment