Nocturnal Enuresis

Abstract

Nocturnal enuresis, or involuntary urination, is a common problem among children. It affects approximately 15% of all children at 5 years old. At our workplace as a primary health care facility, nocturnal enuresis, and incontinence in general, is one of the most common chief complaints presenting to the clinic. Enuresis can be disruptive to normal family life and can generate stress between parents and child. There may be anxiety about events like sleepovers and campouts and there are significant costs in lost time, laundary and bedding, as well as the potential for guilt and loss of self-esteem. Nocturnal enuresis decreases with age, with a spontaneous remission rate of about 15% per year. It can improve with treatment, and improved self-esteem and quality of life have been reported after successful treatment. It is therefore important to offer timely treatment, and to refer children for specialist care when treatments are not effective. In this review we discuss definition, epidemiology, etiology, evaluation and different modalities of treatment for nocturnal enuresis . Key words: Nocturnal enuresis, alarm, desmopressin .