Quick Facts About Bedwetting

• Bedwetting is also known as enuresis, sleep wetting and bladder incontinence.
• Bedwetting is involuntary, not intentional.
• There are 2 types of enuresis. Primary enuresis - where control over bladder does not last for more than 6 months. Secondary enuresis - where bladder control is attained for at least a year before wetting repeats.
• Nocturnal enuresis is bedwetting in the night while diurnal enuresis is bedwetting during the day and in the night. The former is more common.
• Bedwetting often runs in the family i.e. when one or both parents, grandparents had wetted when they were young, their offspring would follow likewise.
• It happens more often in boys than girls.
• When a child who has been dry in the night starts to wet, it could be due to stress resulting from a change in environment, school, the loss of a parent, parents’ divorce or the birth of a sibling.
• Other more serious but less common implications include diabetes or bladder infection (e.g. pain when urinating or abdominal pain) .
• Bedwetting can cause the wetter to feel embarrassed and lead to low-self image.
• Most children will outgrow bedwetting automatically by the time they reach 4 or 5.
• A lack of a natural anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) called vasopressin released from the brain can lead to bed wetting. This hormone makes the urine more concentrated and reduces the production of urine at night.
• Bedwetting alarms/pagers (see next column) are effective devices for treating bedwetting.

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