Primary nocturnal enuresis persistent to adulthood, functional evaluation

The Clinical Features and Predictive Factors of Nocturnal Enuresis in Adult Women

Objective

Our current knowledge on nocturnal enuresis (NE) in adults is scarce due to its uncommon nature. The present study was designed to investigate symptom characteristics and risk factors of NE in adult women to improve the current clinical understanding and management of this rare disease.

Methods

Over a 3-year period, we enrolled 70 adult women who complained of bedwetting, with a frequency of at least once per week and a symptom duration of 3 months or longer. Patients were excluded if they had known pregnancy, current urinary tract infection, untreated malignancies, anatomical abnormalities, and irregular sleep cycle. The International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire—female lower urinary tract symptoms and bladder diary were employed to appraise lower urinary tract symptoms and voiding behavior. Urodynamics was performed to assess the bladder function. A linear regression analysis was applied to determine potential risk factors for NE frequency.

Results

Among the recruited subjects, comorbidities and lower urinary tract symptoms were frequently reported. On bladder diary, patients commonly presented with nocturnal polyuria (NP), reduced nocturnal voided volumes (RNVVs), or both. Urodynamics revealed multiple dysfunctions, namely, detrusor overactivity (DO), urodynamic stress incontinence (USI), reduced compliance, bladder outlet obstruction, detrusor underactivity (DU), and simultaneous DO and DU. Patients with more frequent NE (≥4/week) demonstrated markedly increased body mass index, more comorbid conditions, worse incontinence symptoms, NP or NP plus RNVVs, reduced compliance, and poorer voiding possibly owing to DU. Whereas, RNVVs alone and worse overactive bladder-related parameters were associated with milder NE. Multivariate analysis indicated that frequency/urgency quality of life, incontinence symptom, NP + RNVVs, poor flow, increased bladder sensation, USI, and simultaneous detrusor overactivity plus DU were independent risk factors for NE severity.

Conclusion

NE in adult women may have both urological and non-urological pathophysiology. Imbalanced circadian urine production, jeopardized continence mechanisms, overactive bladder, and DU-induced poor voiding are major factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of NE in adult women. Focused treatments on restoring these functions should be individually considered.

The clinical features and predictive factors of nocturnal enuresis in adult men

OBJECTIVES

To characterise the clinical features and to discover predictive factors of adult males with nocturnal enuresis (NE).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 43 eligible adult male patients (mean age was 57.8 years) were recruited prospectively over a 2-year period. After documentation of medical history, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) were assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire-male LUTS (ICIQ-MLUTS), and a 3-day ICIQ-bladder diary (ICIQ-BD). Video-urodynamic studies (VUDS) were conducted conforming to the International Continence Society standards. Univariate and multivariate linear regressions were performed to determine potential predictive factors.

RESULTS

Patients with NE had a variety of LUTS and had a high incidence of obesity and comorbidities. On the ICIQ-BD, NE was associated with nocturnal polyuria (NP), reduced nocturnal bladder capacity (NBC), or a combination of both. Subgroup analysis indicated that patients with more frequent NE had: higher body mass index (BMI); more comorbidities; reduced daytime urinary frequency and urgency quality of life (QoL) sub-scores; and increased stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and nocturnal bedwetting sub-scores. Patients with reduced NBC only, had fewer NE episodes, while patients with NP, or with both NP and reduced NBC were more likely have frequent NE. Multivariate analysis confirmed that: BMI; neurogenic causes; sub-scores of SUI QoL and bedwetting domain; the presence of reduced NBC, and both NP and reduced NBC; and bladder outlet obstruction, were all independent predictive factors for the severity of NE.

CONCLUSIONS

NE n the adult male should be systemically assessed and treated, as obesity, neurogenic disorders, excessive urine production, bladder storage and emptying dysfunctions are risk factors. Bladder diaries and VUDS provide valuable information on potential pathophysiological causes, which could assist clinical evaluation and selection of focussed treatment.

One and the Same? Nocturnal Enuresis and Overactive Bladder in the Female Veteran Population: Evaluation of a Large National Database

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to describe relationships between women given a diagnosis of nocturnal enuresis (NE) and controls without any urinary complaints and to compare women with NE with those with overactive bladder (OAB). We hypothesized that NE has unique associations with demographics and medical and psychosocial diagnoses.

METHODS

This is a secondary analysis of a database that included all female veterans who established care with a primary care provider from 1997 to 2015. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes identified women with a diagnosis of NE or OAB. Patient characteristics, medical diagnoses, and psychosocial factors previously described as relating to NE and/or OAB were compared between the 2 distinct comparative groups, with significance set at P < 0.05. Stepwise logistic regression was used to assess all significant findings.

RESULTS

A total of 596,815 women were identified; controls totaled 570,049, the group with OAB totaled 26,446 (4.4%), and the group with NE totaled 301 (0.05%).Multivariable analysis compared the group with NE with controls; all measured psychosocial characteristics remained significantly associated with an NE diagnosis (all Ps < 0.05), as well as obstructive sleep apnea history, stroke, self-identification as "minority," smoking, hypertension, and a body mass index higher than those of the general control population (all Ps < 0.05).When the populations with NE and OAB were compared, a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder, an overdose history, depression, military sexual trauma, increasing body mass index, and younger age remained significantly associated with NE (all Ps < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The association of NE with psychosocial characteristics and psychiatric illnesses persisted irrespective of the comparison population. Practitioners should investigate the diagnosis of NE in those female veterans with psychosocial issues.

Nocturnal Enuresis in Older People: Where Is the Evidence and What Are the Gaps?

While there is extensive literature regarding nocturnal enuresis in children and young adults, relatively little research explores this problem in older people. This scoping review sought to identify knowledge gaps and provide research direction specifically for older, institutionalized adults with nocturnal enuresis. A comprehensive search of 8 electronic databases and the gray literature was undertaken. Studies focusing on the causes, symptoms, and treatment of nocturnal enuresis in older people were retrieved. A broad search strategy including all adults was employed in order to capture all relevant publications. Articles were then excluded by title and abstract such that only those relevant to the older adult and institutionalized populations remained. Relevant articles were identified by title and language. Further reading of the abstract allowed inclusion and a final full reading of the articles allowed all authors to map research activity and identify knowledge gaps. After duplicates and nonrelevant articles were eliminated, we identified 7 articles on nursing home residents and 2 involving older people living in psychiatric institutions. Published literature focused on causes and treatment with either desmopressin or aversive behavioral therapy. No study included a comprehensive continence assessment or controlled for comorbid conditions. Identified gray literature focused on general continence information for the public and nonspecialist clinicians. We conclude that there is a dearth of evidence relevant to this troublesome condition. Gaps in the evidence base include a lack of standardized terminology and limited research focusing on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of nocturnal enuresis, all of which suggest a rich research agenda for future investigation.

Afferent pathway dysfunction in children with primary nocturnal enuresis

OBJECTIVES

To investigate afferent pathway dysfunction in children with primary nocturnal enuresis by measuring pudendal somatosensory evoked potential and tibial somatosensory evoked potential.

METHODS

Subjects with primary nocturnal enuresis, 36 boys and 18 girls, aged from 5 to 16 years, were enrolled in this study: 24 subjects had complicated primary enuresis (CPE) and 30 subjects had monosymptomatic primary enuresis (MPE). There were no differences in bodyweight or gender between the MPE and CPE groups (P > 0.05). All of the children underwent physical examination, urine analysis, urinary ultrasound and spinal magnetic resonance imaging. Only subjects without urological and neurological abnormalities (with the exception of spina bifida occulta, which was found in some of the patients) were included in this neurophysiological study.

RESULTS

There were 20 children who were positively recorded with pudendal somatosensory evoked potential in the CPE group, and all of the children in the MPE group were positively recorded (P < 0.05). Positive records of tibial somatosensory evoked potential were successfully achieved in both groups. Furthermore, the pudendal and tibial conductive velocity were slower as compared to the normal range, especially in children in the CPE group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Afferent pathway function may be impaired by some factors, which should be considered by both clinicians and parents.

Nocturnal Enuresis in Adolescents and Adults is Associated With Childhood Elimination Symptoms

PURPOSE

Since nocturnal enuresis in adults and adolescents is rarely monosymptomatic, we identified the prevalence of childhood bladder and bowel dysfunction, and compared findings to those in a normative cohort.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Childhood and current bladder and bowel dysfunction were investigated in 56 consecutive adolescents and adults attending a public nocturnal enuresis service and in 293 normative adults using a self-administered questionnaire. Analysis involved descriptive statistics, the chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests, and regression analysis with p <0.05 considered significant.

RESULTS

Adolescents and adults attending a public nocturnal enuresis service had significantly higher childhood scores than normative adults, and significantly more childhood urgency, frequency, urge incontinence, infrequent voiding and small volume, high urge voids. Infrequent bowel action and fecal soiling in childhood were also significantly more common in those with nocturnal enuresis than in controls. Adult symptoms of urge incontinence, general bowel symptoms and nocturnal enuresis were significantly more common in adults and adolescents with nocturnal enuresis. Significant associations were found between childhood symptoms and adult overactive bladder, and childhood emptying dysfunction and adult voiding dysfunction. Higher childhood scores in adults and adolescents with nocturnal enuresis correlated significantly with current adult symptoms of urge, urge leakage, stress incontinence, hesitancy, incomplete emptying and UTI within the last year.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant childhood bladder and bowel symptoms along with more adult urge and bowel dysfunction were found in adults and adolescents with nocturnal enuresis. The association with adult urgency and urinary tract infection supports the likelihood of underlying bladder and or voiding dysfunction in unremitting nocturnal enuresis.

Impact of urodynamics in treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis persisting into adulthood

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the urodynamic profiles of adults with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) and the association of the urodynamic profile findings with the efficacy of desmopressin and/or tolterodine pharmacotherapy. At least 2% of adults are enuretic during the night. The diagnostic and treatment approach for PNE is empirically the same in children and adults.

METHODS

A total of 20 nocturnal enuretic patients (12 women and 8 men) with a mean age of 27.1 years (range 20 to 42) were studied. They had wet their bed at least twice per week for the past 6 months. Urodynamic studies, including filling and voiding cystometry, pressure-flow study, and pelvic floor electromyography with superficial electrodes, were performed on all patients. Two of them had daytime symptoms, and two had prior failed desmopressin therapy. All patients began taking oral desmopressin 0.4 mg for 1 month. Their continence was assessed and tolterodine 4 mg was added for those in whom desmopressin alone failed. The patients responsive to desmopressin alone or desmopressin plus tolterodine were weaned from medication at 6 and 12 months to reassess continence. The mean follow-up period was 11.6 +/- 3.3 months (range 4 to 14).

RESULTS

Urodynamic studies of 20 PNE adult patients revealed detrusor instability in 10 (50%), hypocompliance in 8 (40%), nonneurogenic detrusor-sphincter dyssynergy in 1 (5%), and no abnormality in 10 (50%). Of the 20 patients, 19 (95%) had no voiding bladder problems. Of the 10 patients responsive to desmopressin alone, 6 (60%) had a normal urodynamic profile; the remaining 4 (40%) had detrusor instability and/or hypocompliance. Of the 5 patients who received desmopressin and tolterodine, 3 achieved continence. The overall continence rate was 86% (13 of 15), and 12 (92%) of the 15 patients required maintenance therapy. In 2 patients (13.3%), desmopressin and tolterodine therapy failed. The efficacy of desmopressin alone and of desmopressin plus tolterodine were not related to the urodynamic profile findings (P >0.05). The urodynamic profile was also not related to the relapse rate after any form of pharmacotherapy (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

PNE persisting into adulthood may be associated with abnormal urodynamic findings. Patients may benefit from urodynamic studies, because if the findings are abnormal, they might have the best chance of successful treatment.