Nocturnal enuresis and sleep disordered breathing in primary school children: Potential implications

Snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, and upper respiratory tract infection in elementary school children in Japan

PURPOSE

Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the common cold are disorders of the upper respiratory tract, and may be associated. However, studies on the association between OSA and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in children are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate possible associations between snoring, the severity of OSA, and URTI in elementary school children.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study in a community cohort of elementary school children (first and second graders) in Japan. Information on sleep habits, history of URTI, and OSA risk was obtained from a parental questionnaire. Children underwent overnight tracheal sound recordings from which apnea-hypopnea index was estimated. Multivariable logistic analysis was employed to define the association between snoring, OSA, and URTI ≥ 3 episodes over six months.

RESULTS

Of the 922 potential enrollees, 653 children and their parents (71%) agreed to participate in the study. Multivariable-adjusted ORs for URTI were 1.73 (95%CI: 1.16 to 2.59) in children who snored 1 to 4 nights per week and 2.82 (95%CI: 1.26 to 6.28) in snoring ≥ 5 nights per week compared with never snoring (reference). Likewise, subjectively reported louder snoring, as well as objectively defined louder sound levels, were significantly associated with URTI. In addition, OR for URTI in children with an estimated apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 2.0 events/hour was 2.65 (95%CI: 1.32 to 5.31) compared to children with apnea-hypopnea index less than 1.0 events/hour (reference).

CONCLUSIONS

Snoring and severity of OSA as measured by nocturnal tracheal sound recordings were associated with increased susceptibility to URTI in elementary school children.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Its Association with Nocturnal Enuresis at the Primary Schools in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

The correlation between nocturnal enuresis (NE) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) was reported. We aim to determine whether there is an association between NE and SDB in children and to assess the prevalence of SDB and NE in primary school children aged 6-12 years in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among the caregivers of children aged 6-12 years in all Saudi Arabia regions. The data were gathered through a self-administered online questionnaire. It included demographic information, weight and height, and associated comorbidities, in addition to the weekly frequencies of snoring symptoms and of enuresis, as well as of unrefreshing sleep using Likert-type response scales. Counts and percentages, the mean ± standard deviation, chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and regression analysis were used in the statistical analysis using R v 3.6.3. The questionnaire was completed by 686 respondents. Most respondents did not report any comorbidities in their children (77.1%). Asthma and adenotonsillar hypertrophy were reported in 16.2% and 15.6% of children, respectively. Unrefreshing sleep, mouth breathing at night, snoring, chronic nasal obstruction, and difficulty breathing while asleep were reported once or twice per week in 38%, 34%, 28%, 18%, and 18% of children, respectively. The prevalence of NE was 22.3%, with about 36.6% of children having NE two or more times per week. Significantly, NE was reported in 26.6% of children who slept before 10 PM compared to 19% of children who slept after 10 PM; in 28.6% of children who snored or loudly snored (57.1%) three times or more per week; and in 51.2% and 27.5% of children with difficulty breathing while asleep and who breathed through their mouth at night for one or two nights per week, respectively. A multivariable regression analysis showed that male gender (OR = 1.52, p = 0.010), obesity (OR = 1.24, p = 0.028), early sleeping time (OR = 1.40, p = 0.048), loud snoring for three or more nights per week (OR = 1.54, p = 0.001), difficulty breathing for one or two nights per week (OR = 1.85, p = 0.010), and mouth breathing at night for one or two nights per week (OR = 1.55, p = 0.049) were associated with higher odds of NE. Our study revealed that 22.3% of primary school children reported suffering from NE. SDB is a common problem among children with NE. The exact mechanism that links SDB to the increase in the risk of NE is unknown. Male gender, obesity, early sleeping time, loud snoring, difficulty breathing, and mouth breathing at night are potential independent risk factors of NE in school-age children.

Are lower urinary tract conditions more common in children with sleep bruxism?

INTRODUCTION

Sleep bruxism is a parasomnia caused by rhythmic and non-rhythmic activity of the masticatory muscles during sleep. Prevalence of sleep bruxism is reported up to 40.6% in the literature. Sleep bruxism is a multifactorial issue and associated with multiple dental complications, sleep-related disorders, and psychosocial problems. We aimed to investigate if children with sleep bruxism suffer more from lower urinary tract conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Prospectively 128 children were included in this study. Sixty-four children constituted in the bruxism group and 64 children constituted in the control group. Children who admitted to the pediatric dentistry clinic with bruxism symptoms were recruited in the bruxism group. Control group constituted of consecutive 64 children who admitted to the pediatric dentistry clinic for routine dental examination. Parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire including Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Scoring System (DVISS) form. Children's demographic data, presence of urinary frequency, presence of urgency, behaviour of voiding postponement, presence of daytime urinary incontinence, presence of enuresis nocturna, presence of fecal incontinence, presence of constipation, status of circumcision, and presence of bruxism related symptoms were recorded. Children with a DVISS score above 8 were considered to have functional voiding disorder. All children underwent a dental examination.

RESULTS

The mean age of children was 73.3 ± 26.9 months. For all children (n = 128), the girl to boy ratio was 40:88. Mean DVISS score was 2.5 ± 3.8 and the mean QOL score was 0.1 ± 0.4 for all children. Eight (6.3%) children were found to have functional voiding disorder based on the DVISS score. There was no statistically significant difference for any lower urinary tract condition between the bruxism group and the control group (Table). Children with bruxism significantly had more tooth wear and masseter muscle hypertrophy (<0.001 and < 0.05).

DISCUSSION

Sleep bruxism has been linked to a number of health issues including dental, systemic and psychosocial problems. Tooth wears, fatigue/pain in chewing muscles, gum recession, facial pain, masseter muscle hypertrophy and temporomandibular joint damage are the main complications of bruxism. Moreover, bruxism has been associated with systemic diseases and sypmtoms like asthma, respiratory illnesses, enuresis nocturna, anxiety, and stress.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with sleep bruxism suffer more from tooth wear, masseter muscle hypertrophy, and regional pain over the jaw. Additionally morning fatigue, relationship issues, and respiratory illnesses are more common in bruxist children. Lower urinary tract conditions are not more frequent in children with sleep bruxism.

Relationship between nocturnal enuresis and sleep in children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is a multifactorial and complex condition. One less understood factor in its pathophysiology is the enuretic inability to wake up when the bladder is full (impaired arousal).

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep and NE in children and adolescents.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines, and the electronic databases MEDLINE (via PubMed) and SCOPUS were searched until March 2022. Eligibility criteria were studies that recruited patients aged five-17 years with a diagnosis of NE according to the International Child Continence Society (ICCS), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5), or International Classification Criteria of Sleep Disorders-Third edition (ICSD-3) who had their sleep assessed using validated questionnaires and/or polysomnography. The tool used to analyze the risk of bias in the included studies was the risk of bias in non-randomized studies of exposure.

RESULTS

Of 1582 citations screened, nine were included, giving 1685 participants, 581 with NE. All studies were observational and half had a low risk of bias. Four studies evaluated sleep by questionnaires only; two used questionnaires and polysomnography; two used only polysomnography, and one used sleep logs and actigraphy. Sleep questionnaires showed that children with enuresis had more sleep problems than controls, especially parasomnias, breathing disorders, and daytime sleepiness. Among the polysomnography parameters, the sleep stage architecture and periodic limb movements during sleep had conflicting data between the two studies.

LIMITATIONS

The studies evaluated sleep through heterogeneous tools. They used different questionnaires; even those considered by polysomnography did not record the same channels.

CONCLUSION

It seems that enuretic children and adolescents sleep differently from those who are non-enuretic. More studies are needed to clarify the best way to assess sleep and better understand this relationship. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021266338. There was no funding.

Relationship between sleep respiration, architecture and childhood enuresis: Correlates between polysomnography and questionnaire

AIM

Nocturnal enuresis (NE) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are common in childhood. While the two disorders are linked, those links are still being clarified.

METHODS

This study compared sleep profiles and enuresis-related behaviours between children with NE and those without, who were referred to a tertiary sleep unit with suspected SDB, using the combination of polysomnography (PSG) and questionnaire. Continuous numerical data were analysed after adjusting for body mass index z-score.

RESULTS

The study included 52 Children (39 boys, 13 girls) aged 5-14 years. Twenty-one had enuresis (10 monosymptomatic enuresis (MNE) and 11 non-monosymptomatic enuresis (NMNE)) and 31 did not have enuresis. The majority had comorbidities. On PSG, all children with NE had moderate obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) compared to the control group which were of mild OSA. Children with NMNE had a higher percentage time in stage-3 non-REM sleep when compared to the non-enuretic and MNE groups (P < 0.05). On the questionnaire, more parents of the NE groups reported that their child was 'difficult to wake in the morning' (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In this heterogeneous population referred for suspected SDB, children with NE had moderate OSA, yet those with MNE had increased arousals and more often report difficulty waking than children with suspected SDB who do not wet, while children with NMNE exhibit changes in sleep architecture suggesting deeper sleep. These differences may impact treatment choices for children with enuresis.

The Importance of Understanding Parental Perception When Treating Primary Nocturnal Enuresis: A Topic Review and an Institutional Experience

Primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) is a common childhood disorder that adversely affects a child’s mental well-being and social life. Our clinical experience showed parents and their child often have significantly different perspective of enuresis, and these differences can affect family dynamics, treatment approaches, and treatment success. Parents’ perception of PNE also influences the likelihood of seeking medical treatment, and we found parents of children with enuresis have markedly different beliefs regarding bedwetting than those of physicians. Because achieving remission for PNE requires parents and their child to actively participate in treatment, assessing their expectancy of success and their beliefs will allow clinicians to adjust treatment goals as necessary. When treating PNE, guidelines consistently recommend incorporating bed alarms as part of the therapy. However, through interviewing parents and treating their children, we found parents preferred medications or other behavioral strategies, such as limiting water intake, because of their convenience. Many parents would complain bed alarms woke them up instead of their child, and they would soon give up on bed alarms. Part of assessing their beliefs includes assessing their confidence in their child being able to wake up to alarms and to persist with treatment. Understanding how they manage and approach setbacks will also determine the treatment modality suited for their child. In this review paper, we detailed our experiences interviewing parents and treating their child with NE with urodynamics and medications at the Changhua Christian Hospital in Taiwan.

Evaluation of Factors Affecting Enuresis in 6- to 12-Year-Old Children Referred to the Pediatric Nephrology Clinic

Enuresis is one of the most common disorders in children, and if left untreated can cause anxiety, low self-esteem, and family problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with enuresis to provide recommendations for more efficient prevention and treatment. A cross-sectional study was performed on children aged 6 to 12 years with enuresis, referred to the pediatric clinic between April 2017 and April 2018. Children were divided into two groups: monosymptomatic enuresis and healthy subjects. Then, a questionnaire was completed by their parents to assess the factors related to enuresis. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. In this study, out of 140 children with an average age of 8.22 ± 2.01 years, 77 cases (55%) had enuresis, of which 57 (40.7%) had primary enuresis, and 20 cases (14.3%) had secondary enuresis. There was a significant difference between the control and the case groups in terms of: father's education, family income, family history, number of people sleeping in the room, family problems, problems at school, history of urinary tract infections, history of pinworms, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty in waking up, feeling tired after waking up, and drowsiness during the day. Enuresis is associated with several physiological, psychological, and genetic factors. Controlling these factors requires paying attention to the elements such as the mental health of the family and child's sleep health through education, family awareness, and counseling.

Prevalence and risk factors of nocturnal enuresis among children ages 5-12 years in Xi'an, China: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Nocturnal enuresis (NE) has a negative impact on children's health and imposes a long-term burden on families. With economic development and cultural improvements, parents and medical professionals pay more attention to NE. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of NE among children ages 5-12 years in Xi'an, China.

METHODS

A stratified cluster sampling method was used to conduct a cross-sectional study of NE in 10 kindergartens and 20 primary schools in Xi'an. We used univariate analysis to compare the prevalences of characteristics such as gender, duration of disposable diaper (DD) use, toilet training onset time, daily living habits, academic performance, and family history of NE. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratio and to determine risk factors of NE.

RESULTS

The study included 6568 children ages 5-12 years, of which 262 (3.99%) had NE. The prevalence rates of NE decreased with age, with the highest prevalence at age 5 (9.09% for boys; 6.03% for girls). However, the prevalence increased with duration of DD use. Children experienced more NE if they never accepted toilet training (7.83%) or if they drank sugary beverages during the day (5.36%). Sleep disorders, sweets intake, drinking low amounts of plain water during the day, and family history of NE, were statistically associated with NE.

CONCLUSION

NE was closely associated with a family history of NE, being male, long-term use of DD, delayed toilet training, drinking sugary beverages and/or consuming little plain water, and sleep disorders. A supportive parental attitude towards NE and timely medical treatment can improve the quality of life of enuretic children.

Prevalence and clinical impact of snoring in older community-dwelling adults

AIM

The prevalence and clinical impact of snoring in the independent older adult population is unknown. To address this, we carried out this cross-sectional epidemiological study of community-dwelling independent older adults.

METHODS

The study data were collected by the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study 2013, a postal survey distributed to a large cohort of independent community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥65 years) in 2013, across 30 municipalities of 14 prefectures. We used data for 24 837 participants (13 135 women, mean age 73.5 years, and 11 702 men, mean age 73.3 years). The association of snoring with airway symptoms and history of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease were investigated using Poisson regression models.

RESULTS

The prevalence ratio (95% confidence intervals) for wheezing according to snoring frequency in men was 1.87 (1.45-2.43) among those who snored on 1-6 nights a week, and 2.95 (2.15-4.05) among those who snored every night. Similar relationships were observed for women. Expectoration, another airway symptom, was also associated with snoring frequency. Furthermore, snoring frequency was associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. Both diabetes and heart disease were associated with snoring frequency in women independent of body mass index, but the association was only observed in men with a normal or lower body mass index.

CONCLUSIONS

Snoring is a highly prevalent and pathogenic symptom in adults aged ≥65 years. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1165-1171.

Pediatric pulmonology year in review 2018: Sleep medicine

Pediatric Pulmonology publishes original research, case reports, and review articles on topics related to a wide range of children's respiratory disorders. In this article (Part 4 of a five-part series), we summarize the past year's publications in sleep medicine, in the context of selected literature in this area from other journals. Articles are highlighted on topics including infant sleep, diagnosis, and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, and sleep disorders in chronic disease.