Nocturnal enuresis

For the Chris Brown song, see Wet the Bed.
Nocturnal enuresis
Other namesNighttime urinary incontinence, sleepwetting, bedwetting
Urine mark on bedding caused by a nocturnal enuresis episode.
SpecialtyPediatrics, Psychology, Urology

Nocturnal enuresis (NE), also informally called bedwetting, is involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which bladder control usually begins.[1] Bedwetting in children and adults can result in emotional stress.[2] Complications can include urinary tract infections.[2][3][4][5]

Most bedwetting is a developmental delay—not an emotional problem or physical illness. Only a small percentage (5 to 10%) of bedwetting cases have a specific medical cause.[6] Bedwetting is commonly associated with a family history of the condition.[7] Nocturnal enuresis is considered primary when a child has not yet had a prolonged period of being dry. Secondary nocturnal enuresis is when a child or adult begins wetting again after having stayed dry.

Treatments range from behavioral therapy, such as bedwetting alarms, to medication,[8][9] such as hormone replacement, and even surgery such as urethral dilatation. Since most bedwetting is simply a developmental delay, most treatment plans aim to protect or improve self-esteem.[6] Treatment guidelines recommend that the physician counsel the parents,[10] warning about psychological consequences caused by pressure, shaming, or punishment for a condition children cannot control.[6]

Bedwetting is the most common childhood complaint.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ Fischer E (May 1860). "Cases from the Surgical Clinic of the Philadelphia Hospital: Service of Professor Gross". The North American Medico-chirurgical Review. 4 (3): 455. PMC 10344007. PMID 38079927.
  2. ^ a b "Definition & Facts for Bladder Control Problems & Bedwetting in Children". National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. September 2017. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  3. ^ Lallemand F, McDougall HJ (1853). McDougall HJ (ed.). A Practical Treatise on the Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment of Spermatorrhoea. Harvard University: Blanchard and Lea. p. 231.
  4. ^ Cooper S (1807). The first lines of the practice of surgery. the University of California: Richard Phillips. p. 456.
  5. ^ Navy US (1954). Medical News Letter. p. 18.
  6. ^ a b c Johnson M. "Nocturnal Enuresis". www.duj.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-22. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  7. ^ "Bedwetting". The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Archived from the original on 2008-12-26. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  8. ^ Trousseau A (1882). "Clinical Medicine". Clinical Medicine Lectures Delivered at the Hôtel-Dieu, Paris. 2. P. Blakiston, Son: 304.
  9. ^ Adee D (1843). "The Retrospect of Practical Medicine and Surgery". Being a Half-yearly Journal Containing a Retrospective View of Every Discovery and Practical Improvement in the Medical Sciences. 1–4: 73.
  10. ^ Cook DE, Monro IS, West DH (1945). "Standard Catalog for Public Libraries: 1941-1945 supplement to the 1940 edition". Standard Catalog for Public Libraries: Supplement... 1941-, H.W. Wilson Company. 1. H. W. Wilson Company, 1945: 18.
  11. ^ Paredes PR. "Case Based Pediatrics For Medical Students and Residents". Department of Pediatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  12. ^ "Nocturnal Enuresis". UCLA Urology. Archived from the original on 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  13. ^ Butler RJ, Holland P (August 2000). "The three systems: a conceptual way of understanding nocturnal enuresis". Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology. 34 (4): 270–7. doi:10.1080/003655900750042022. PMID 11095087. S2CID 35856153.