Enuresis
Case
The parents of a seven year old boy bring
their son
to the office because he has rarely been dry at night. His four year
old
sister is always dry and they are very concerned. He doesn't wet his
pants
during the day. How would you evaluate this patient and advise this
family?
Enuresis is involuntary voiding at night
(bedwetting).
It should be differentiated from daytime or diurnal enuresis. At the
age
of 5, approximately 85% of children will be dry at night. Afterwards,
about
15% will improve per year and 1% of adults are still bedwetting. Boys
are
affected three times more than girls.
Secondary enuresis is defined as the onset
of bedwetting
after having been dry at night for 6 months prior to wetting the bed
again.
The incidence is between 3-8% of 5-12 year olds. About 15% resolve
yearly
in this group as well.
Pertinent history
-
Establish whether this is primary or
secondary
-
Family history of enuresis- 40% incidence
if one parent
and 70% if both parents were enuretic
-
History of constipation or encopresis
-
Symptoms of UTI's
-
Any history of renal disease
-
Any symptoms of diabetes insipidus or
mellitus
-
Voiding history- problems in daytime,
number of times
goes during the day, stream, difficulty starting and stopping
-
Emotional or behavioral symptoms
-
Neurologic symptoms- weakness, bowel
control changes,
gait changes
Physical exam
-
Examination of genitalia
-
Neurologic exam
-
Abdominal exam
-
Inspection of back and spinal column
Laboratory evaluation
-
urine analysis and culture
Etiology
-
Genetic
-
Bladder capacity and function- usually not
an issue
in primary enuresis
-
Deep sleeper- not a proven cause
-
Sleep apnea- there is an association of
sleep apnea
with large adenoids and tonsils and enuresis that may improve with
T&A.
-
ADH secretion abnormalities have been
suggested but
never proven
-
Stress and psychogenic- never proven
-
Neurologic dysfunction- may be a delay in
maturation.
Some "soft" neurologic signs have been associated
-
Diet- not proven
-
Bacteriuria has been associated with
secondary enuresis.
Management of Enuresis
-
A careful history and physical exam are
very important
in the evaluation of enuresis. Any treatment modality should include
the
parents as well as the child. Children should limit the intake of
fluids
before going to sleep and should void prior to going to bed. Waking the
child at night is of little value and is disruptive to the entire
family.
De-emphasize the significance of the problem and point out that only 1%
of adults are still enuretic. Make the child responsible for changing
their
bed clothes and sheets and bringing them to the laundry. Never punish
and
appreciate that you may be dealing with a child with poor self esteem.
-
Behavioral modification- keep a calendar
of dry and
wet nights and give stars or other small reward for dry nights. Bring
chart
to office on the next visit. Encourage the child. Have the child phone
you and relate how they are doing.
-
Alarm systems- cost about $60 and
successful if used
properly and consistently. Compliance is a problem and staying on the
alarm
a problem. Alarm that hooks on to undergarment work well. May be used
with
DDAVP which jumps starts success because may take 3 weeks for alarm to
show results. Then taper DDAVP.
-
Medications
-
Ditropan- successful if bladder function
or sphincter
problem.
-
Imipramine- May be useful but often when
stop medicine
child begins to wet again
-
DDAVP- very expensive and when stop
child will often
start to wet bed again. Useful for special occasions and for desperate
families.
-
Treat UTI if urine culture is positive.
Reference
-
Hurley, R. Morrison. The Difference
Between Night and
Day. Pediatrics in Review December 1990.
-
Schmitt BD. Noctunal Enuresis. Pediatrics
in Review.
1997; 18:183-191.
-
Tietjen, Douglas and Husmann, Douglas.
Nocturnal Enuresis:
A Guide to Evaluation and Treatment Mayo Clinic Proceedings 1996:
71:857-62.
-
Wojcik LJ and Kaplan GW. The Wet Child.
Urologic Clinics
of North America. 1998; 25(4):735-744.
-
Lawless Michael and McElderry D. Nocturnal
Enuresis: Current Concepts Pediatrics in Review November 2001
- Christopherson E. Is
Evidenced-Based Treatment Sufficient to Manage Nighttime Wetting
Probelems (Enuresis)? Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med Vol 159 Dec 2005
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