Understanding of and misconceptions around monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis: findings from patient and physician surveys

[Enuresis: Perception and attitude in population of our country]

OBJECTIVE

To know the perception and attitude towards enuresis from families and caregivers with the aim of establishing a rational therapeutic plan.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A 25-question survey was performed among parents over 18years old with at least a child between 5 and 13years old, maintaining national representativeness in terms of residence, social class and age of the children. Data collection was performed in April 2021.

RESULTS

Data from 501 out of 626 sent surveys was obtained, mostly from middle-class families from Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid. From all the participants, 47.9% knew about the existence of enuresis, although only 23.8% knew which was the medical term. Only 16.6% and 9.6% remembered that the pediatrician or the nurse, respectively, had referred to the condition at any time. Among the respondents with some knowledge about enuresis, their main information source were close cases (36.6%), media outlets (31.1%) and the pediatrician (27.8%). Parents would be very (35.3%) or somewhat (43.1%) worried in the event of an enuresis case. However, the level of knowledge was higher, and the level of concern was lower among parents with a child with enuresis in comparison to those without a case in their family.

CONCLUSION

Improving parent knowledge about enuresis and changing their perception towards this condition might be of importance to improve their attention and anticipate its resolution.

Nocturnal enuresis in children: Parents' perspectives

AIM

Parents of children with nocturnal enuresis (NE) may have uncertainty and anxiety. This study aimed to investigate the level of uncertainty and anxiety in the parents of children with NE and analyse its influencing factors.

DESIGN

We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among the parents of children with NE in China.

METHODS

A general information questionnaire, the Parent Perception of Uncertainty Scale (PPUS), and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing the parental uncertainty level independently.

RESULTS

A total of 247 valid questionnaires were collected. The PPUS score of children with NE was 81.18 ± 10.82, and the anxiety self-rating scale score was 41.86 ± 9.20. Parents' working status, the family's per capita monthly income, and the children's treatment time were the main influencing factors of parental illness uncertainty.

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Psychological Effects of Primary Nocturnal Enuresis in Chinese Young Adults

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and effects of primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) on physical and mental health in young adults in mainland China.

Methods

An anonymous questionnaire was used to collect information including the sociodemographic characteristics, history of PNE, family history, daytime voiding symptoms, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). A total of 22,500 university students from 23 provinces and 368 cities in mainland China were included.

Results

In total, 21,082 questionnaires were collected, and 20,345 of them qualified for statistical analysis. The PNE prevalence was 1.17%, and the distribution of monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE) and nonmonosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (NMNE) was 66.1% and 33.9%, respectively. In total, 28% of respondents with PNE reported bedwetting daily, 31.6% between 1 and 7 times weekly, and 40.4% between 1 and 4 times monthly; 80% of PNE cases had no history of treatment. The prevalence of PNE in patients with a family history, frequency, urgency, urinary incontinence, and recurrent urinary tract infections was significantly higher than in those without these conditions (P<0.001). PNE was significantly correlated with the PSQI total score (sleep quality) (P=0.011). The SES score was lower and the SDS was higher (P<0.001) in the PNE group than in those without PNE.

Conclusions

In mainland China, the PNE prevalence among young adults was found to be high, and PNE had significant effects on physical and mental health. Risk factors included a family history, daytime voiding symptoms, and lack of treatment.

Nocturnal enuresis in children: The role of arginine-vasopressin

Nocturnal enuresis is the involuntary pass of urine during sleep beyond the age of 5 years. It is a common condition in childhood and has an impact on the child's well-being. Research into the pathophysiology of the condition in the last decades has led to a paradigm shift, and enuresis is no longer considered a psychiatric disorder but rather a maturation defect with a somatic background. An excess urine production during sleep is a common finding in children with enuresis and disturbances in the circadian rhythm of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is found in the majority of children with nocturnal polyuria. Children with enuresis and nocturnal polyuria lack the physiologic increase in AVP levels during sleep and treatment with the AVP analogue desmopressin can restore this rhythm and lead to dry nights. The reasons for this aberrant circadian AVP rhythm are not established. Furthermore, not all children with enuresis and nocturnal polyuria can be successfully treated with desmopressin suggesting that factors beyond renal water handling can be implicated such as natriuresis, hypercalciuria, and sleep-disordered breathing. The advances in the research of the genetic background of the condition may shed further light on the enuresis pathophysiology.

Sleep Monitoring of Children With Nocturnal Enuresis: A Narrative Review

The purpose of this article is to provide a succinct summary of the sleep monitoring efforts that have been used in nocturnal enuresis (NE) and an overview of the knowledge that has accrued. This is not intended to be a comprehensive review, but rather is intended to highlight how polysomnography (PSG), a common sleep detection tool, has contributed to our understanding of NE, as arousal disorder is considered to be one of the important mechanisms. The authors have organized this report by analysis and display of different ingredients of PSG, starting with comparing the electroencephalogram (EEG) of controls and the enuretic children and then moving to evaluation of respiratory patterns of NE and comorbid disease obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In addition, the authors' goal is to better understand the mechanism of NE by integrating various levels of sleep monitoring; those sleep-related clinical scale scores for NE are presented to date. Finally, we propose further research of NE to explore the microstructure alterations via PSG combined with EEG-fMRI or to use novel technology like portable device internet and deep learning strategy.