Enuresis (bed-wetting) – Causes and symptoms

bed-wetting

Bed wetting is a very common problem among small children, around 5 to 6 years of age. For every individual child, the age for gaining control over the bladder and the toilet training is different, and when this happens even after the age has passed, it is called bed-wetting or nocturnal enuresis, and is very common. More than 5 million US children have this nocturnal enuresis.
It may also happen that children after proper toilet training and being dry for 6 months, start bed-wetting and this may be due to change in sleep, or physical or emotional changes. This is called secondary enuresis while primary enuresis is when the children have never really been dry at night. It occurs when the bladder is full overnight more than it can hold and the child does not respond to the signal of full bladder. It is the neither the fault of the child nor the parent. One should also consult the healthcare expert if there is a suspicion that this is a case of incontinence.
There may be physical causes for the same, like diabetes, infections or congenital malformations of genitourinary tract or lower spinal cord lesions. It could also be inherited. Its not uncommon when children over 10 and even some adults have bed-wetting episodes sometimes. The main symptom of enuresis is the involuntary urination that usually occurs at night at least twice per month.
If this problem becomes severe, it calls for medical attention and the doctor asks for the bed-wetting history of the child and also a physical examination to rule out the physical causes. Urinalysis helps to check whether there is any infection or diabetes. X-rays of the kidneys and bladders and other studies are not needed unless there is reason to suspect some other problems.
One should be aware about such causes and symptoms for better child care.