Enuresis: agree to celebrate their world day in May
Experts from all over Europe, gathered at the 26th Annual Congress of the European Society of Pediatric Urology and the International Society of Childhood Incontinence, which has recently been held in Prague, have decided to celebrate, from this year and in May, the World Enuresis Day "World Bedwetting Day" WBD, in order to raise awareness about enuresis, a global health problem whose impact on children and their families is often underestimated and trivialized.
What is enuresis?
Enuresis is what we know as urinary incontinence, or what is the same, involuntary urination. When urine escapes during sleep, what we call nocturnal enuresis, which is very common in children, appears.
To consider incontinence as a real problem in children, it must occur with a frequency of twice a week, at least for a period of three months and in children over five years of age. Therefore, as of this age, not controlling the peeing in bed is a problem that we must address as soon as possible.
Where the cause of childhood enuresis resides
Enuresis may be due to biological factors as:
- The genetic
- TendDelay of maturation
- Alterations of the dream
- Disorders of the urinary tract
It can also be related topsychological and social factors as:
- Stressful situations
- Social class
- Training in bladder control
- Emotional and behavioral disorders
90% of cases of enuresis have a medical or biological cause - such as excess urine production at night or reduced capacity of the bladder - and only the remaining 10 percent is due to psychological causes.
Treatment of childhood nocturnal enuresis
The doctor is the best person to advise us on the measures to take in the face of this problem. Therefore, consultation with the primary care physician first, and with the urologist afterwards, is the first step towards proper treatment and the solution of enuresis.
Most often, the doctor will perform a complete physical examination of the child, with a urinalysis and an abdominal ultrasound. If the doctor considered it necessary, he could request more specific tests to study the urinary tract and a urodynamic study to study the urination of the child.
If left untreated, bedwetting does not necessarily go away on its own, and can become a problem with important consequences in adolescence or adulthood.
Habits of treatment against infant enuresis
Usually it is usual to fix a series of habits between parents, children and the doctor that try to improve the problem of enuresis before going on to medical treatment to which, in most cases, it is not necessary to resort . These habits would be:
1. Establish a voiding schedule. The best thing is for the child to urinate about 6 times or more a day.
2. The child should drink less in the evening.Fluid intake should be frequent and spread throughout the day. The child should drink more in the morning, less in the afternoon, little at night and nothing before bedtime
3. You have to avoid very large dinners, salty and with a lot of liquid. You should not eat more than 200ml of liquid during dinner
4. The child must fill in a voiding schedule, where it will shape the dry and wet nights. This allows you to observe your progress.
For Dr. Venancio Martínez, President of the Spanish Society of Out-of-Home Pediatrics and Primary Care (SEPEAP), "enuresis is a problem that families and doctors should address without feeling guilty or ashamed Unfortunately, too many pediatricians still opt for therapeutic abstention and the idea that it will be cured over time, although currently all studies recommend intervening on enuresis. " And continues "we hope that the celebration of the world day of enuresis serves to raise awareness about the disease and its consequences and so that children and families can get the help they deserve."
Sara Pérez
Advice: Enuresis has a solution. www.mojarlacama.es
