Melatonin rhythm in children with enuresis

The effect of using entertainment and communication devices before sleep on nocturnal enuresis

BACKGROUND

Monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE) is a common urological problem. The association between the use of entertainment and communication devices (EECDs) at night and enuresis in MNE patients has yet to be reported in the literature. This study aims to determine if an association exists between the use of EECDs before sleep and nocturnal enuresis.

METHODS

Patients with MNE who presented to the pediatric nephrology department of the center between January 30, 2019 and June 30, 2019 were included in the study. A questionnaire was administered both to the patients and to an age- and sex-matched control group to garner details of sleeping features and duration of exposure to EECDs before sleep. A comparison was then made of the answers provided by the patient and control groups.

RESULTS

The study included 138 patients (65 females; 73 males) and 104 controls (44 females; 60 males). The patients who used EECDs for more than 3 h a day before sleep suffered more frequently from bedwetting than those who used EECDs for fewer than 3 h a day (P = 0.007). The time of exposure to EECDs before sleep in the patient group was longer than in the control group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of EECDs for more than 3 hours before sleep is associated with bedwetting and enuresis frequency in patients with MNE. Patients suffering from MNE should be advised not to use EECDs before sleep.

Melatonin's Effect on the Efficacy of Desmopressin in the Treatment of Enuresis

PURPOSE

This study aims to evaluate and compare the efficacy of exogenous melatonin associated with desmopressin (dDAVP) and dietary recommendations.

METHODS

A total of 189 patients were enrolled from the Service of Pediatrics, Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital of Rome, from January 2013 to June 2015. Of the 189 original patients, 153 children, aged between 5 and 14 years (mean age, 8.7 years) were included in the study. After clinical evaluation and a 3-month period of observation without treatment, children were assigned to receive treatment in one of 3 groups: group 1, dDAVP at a dose of 120 mcg a day (Minirin); group 2, dDAVP at a dose of 120 mcg and dietary recommendations; or group 3, dDAVP at a dose of 120 mcg, dietary recommendations, and melatonin at a dose of 1 mg a day (Melamil plus). Each patient was treated for 3 months.

RESULTS

After the 3 months of therapy, a desiderable response was achieved in 30 of 51 patients (58.82%) treated with dDAVP, 35 of 53 patients (66.04%) treated with dDAVP and dietary recommendations, and 35 of 49 patients (71.43%) treated with dDAVP, dietary recommendations, and melatonin.

CONCLUSIONS

Although not statistically significant, the results show that the association between dDAVP treatment with dietary recommendations and melatonin could be considered a safe and effective treatment of NE. Considering that the statistically insignificant results might be due to the small sample size, the study will be continued to increase the number of subjects.

Melatonin treatment in children with therapy-resistant monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of exogenous melatonin on the frequency of wet nights, on the sleep-wake cycle, and on the melatonin profile in children with therapy-resistant MNE.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

24 patients were included. Patients had to maintain a diary including time of sleep and arousal, and whether they had a dry or a wet bed in the morning. We measured baseline melatonin profiles in saliva. Hereafter, patients were randomized to synthetic melatonin or placebo. After 3 and 6 months we evaluated the frequency of enuresis and the melatonin profiles.

RESULTS

11 patients were randomized to melatonin, 13 to placebo. We evaluated melatonin profiles of 7 patients in the melatonin group and of 8 in the placebo group. We observed a change in profile in the melatonin group, but we did not observe a difference in the sleep-wake cycle or the frequency of wet nights in either group.

CONCLUSION

This is the first time exogenous melatonin has been evaluated in the treatment of MNE. Although we observed a change in melatonin profile after the use of exogenous melatonin, we did not observe a change in enuresis frequency or in the sleep-wake cycle of this select group of patients.

Insulin doses before and one year after pump start: children have a reversed dawn phenomenon

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the basal rate and bolus doses in children and adolescents at the start of insulin pump therapy and after 1 year of use.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Case records from 29 children and adolescents were examined. All pumps were started with rapid-acting insulin (Humalog). Patients were aged 13.1 ± 3.9 years, with a diabetes duration of 5.4 ± 4.1 years at pump start. Sixteen pumps were started for high hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c; >8.8%, 73 mmol/mol) and 13 for other reasons.

RESULTS

Basal rates declined in both groups by 20% at 3 days after pump start. The bolus doses were reduced by 25-30% when the indication was high HbA1c and by 15% in the others. After 1 year, there was a significant difference in the basal rate between age groups. The 3-9-year-old age group had higher basal rates during the late evening (10:00 PM-12:00 AM), while the 15-21-year-old age group had higher basal rates in the early morning (3:00 AM-7:00 AM).

CONCLUSIONS

Insulin doses are reduced considerably when starting with a pump in pediatric practice. Younger children needed higher basal rates late in the evening (reversed dawn phenomenon), while older teenagers seem to need an increase in the morning, which may correspond to a true dawn phenomenon.

Salivary melatonin rhythm as a marker of the circadian system in healthy children and those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. Problems with sleep structure, efficiency, and timing have been reported in some, but not all, studies on ADHD children. As the sleep-wake cycle belongs to circadian rhythms, the timekeeping circadian system might be involved in ADHD. To assess whether the circadian system of ADHD children differs from that of controls, the rhythm of the pineal hormone melatonin was used as a reliable marker of the system. Saliva from 34 ADHD and 43 control 6- to 12-yr-old children was sampled at 2-h intervals throughout the entire 24-h cycle, and the melatonin profiles of the ADHD and control children were compared. The nocturnal melatonin peaks of the ADHD and control group did not differ significantly. The high nocturnal interindividual variability of the peaks seen in adulthood was present already in the studied children. The 24-h melatonin profiles of all the ADHD subjects did not differ significantly from those of the control subjects. Categorization of subjects according to age, into groups of 6- to 7-yr-old (9 ADHD, 5 control), 8- to 9-yr-old (16 ADHD, 26 control), and 10- to 12-yr-old (9 ADHD, 12 control) children, revealed significant differences between the ADHD and control group in the melatonin rhythm waveform, but not in nocturnal melatonin peaks; the peaks were about the same in both groups and did not change significantly with increasing age. In the oldest, but not in the younger, children, the melatonin signal duration in the ADHD group was shorter than in the control group. The difference might be due to the fact that whereas in the control group both the evening melatonin onset and the morning offset phase delayed in the oldest children relative to those in the youngest children, in the ADHD group only the onset, but not the offset, phase delayed with increasing age. The data may indicate subtle differences between the circadian system of ADHD and control children during development.