BED WETTING: THE CAUSES AND THE FACTS

When your child passes urine during sleep that is called bed wetting. During their early development, children gradually learn how to control their bladder, that means when to urinate. They achieve

it in different ages, but usually within 5 years of age. Below 5 years children usually wet their bed and that is normal. But after 5 years, is it normal? No it’s not.

The medical term for this condition is ENURESIS.

When bed wetting accidentally occurs, weather in day or night, after the age when one should have bladder control is called enuresis.

For older child it is really embarrassing when he wets the bed. It is a bad feeling for this child. You have to be supportive and should not punish him for that.

After your child achieves bladder control he or she should not wet the bed. If he does it may be due to some sort of infection or psychological condition. The treatment for enuresis is possible and I will discuss it in my next blog. Let’s us now say in which condition bed wetting may occur.

First, you have to understand the term PRIMARY NOCTURNAL ENURESIS and SECONDARY NOCTURNAL ENURESIS.

Primary nocturnal enuresis is that when your child have never achieved bladder control in his life, even after 5 or 6 years of age, is called primary enuresis. The causes of this condition include:

DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY: The child usually reaches developmental milestones in certain age. Such as sitting in 6-7 months, walking in 12-13 months. These points of achievement is called developmental milestone. Due to immature nervous system, may be caused by some disease, the children cannot sense that the bladder is full.

TOO SMALL BLADDER: In some children, they may have a small bladder, so the capacity. As a result they urinate more frequently.

LESS ANTIDIURETICHORMONE (ADH): there is an important hormone secreted from posterior pituitary gland in brain. This hormone is important for water management of the body. It works on kidney and instructs the kidney to conserve the water within the body. In some patient this hormone is low, so more urine is produced.

PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS: It does not directly cause bed wetting but may be related to this disease. When a child face difficult situation, in home or in school, of any kind, he may wet the bed. Let me give you some example e.g. when he is bullied by other student, teacher say harsh word to him, parent scold or rebuke daily or loss of good friend or pet etc. In these situations child may become emotionally vulnerable and wet the bet. It may be temporary or permanent. This factor play role in both primary and secondary enuresis.

Sometimes this condition runs in the family, means inherited. When a child’s father or mother had history of bed wetting in their childhood, then there is a little chance that the baby may wet the bed during sleep after 5 years.

Now, what is SECONDARY NOCTURNAL ENURESIS? When a child, after 5 years of age, achieved bladder control but starts to urinate during sleep after 1-2 years that is called secondary nocturnal enuresis. Primary nocturnal enuresis is usually not caused by any medical illness, but in case of secondary, it is usually associated with some kind of medical illness. Examples of this conditions are urinary tract infection, infection in the kidney, any kind of birth defect in the in the urinary tract, any severe psychological trauma.

Weather the cause is, either primary or secondary, you must seek medical attention. In my next article I will discuss detail about when to seek medical attention, what are the treatment modalities and what are the medical management.

Remember the most important thing when a child wet the bet please do not say any harsh word to him. Rather support him.

Oh! Last thing about my articles. These articles are not for medical decision. It is only to enlighten u about common condition of your child.

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