Diagnosing Bed Wetting

Bed wetting is a very widespread problem in children that can cause a great deal of strife for both the bed wetting child as well as his or her family members. After exhausting all basis methods for ending bed wetting, many parents decide to take their child to the doctor for a more professional opinion and help. It is important to realize that occasional bed wetting before the age of five is not considered a problem but it defined as such after that age when it happens on a consistent basis.

A doctor will need to ask specific questions of the parent of the bed wetter regarding family history and the child’s past medical history. The doctor will ask- Did you experience any medical complications when the child was born? He or she will also want to know if your child has ever had a problem with his central nervous system. Did either of the child’s parents ever wet the bed as youngsters and/or was there anyone else in the family that did? A doctor will also inquire as to whether a child has ever undergone any type of surgery and whether he or she has ever sustained any injury to the abdominal area, which could encompass the kidneys, bladder and genital area.

Recent studies into bed wetting have should that an estimated fifteen to twenty-five percent of children at five years old wet their beds but as they grow the percentage of children who wet their beds decreases by an estimated fifteen percent. Approximately eight percent of twelve-year-old males experience bed wetting whereas only four percent of females at the same age do so. Among teenagers a small percentage wet suffer from nocturnal enuresis (approximately one to three percent). There are two kinds of bed wetting or enuresis- primary enuresis and secondary enuresis- and while primary enuresis is more common, approximately fifteen to twenty-five percent of bed wetters suffer from secondary enuresis (or enuresis that is stress related).

One of the ways a doctor distinguishes primary enuresis from secondary enuresis is by asking of the parent, “At what age was your child consistently dry at night?” If the answer is “My child was never dry at night” then the child suffers from primary enuresis, as secondary enuresis is when bed wetting begins or starts again after a child has been free of it for a period of at least six months.

Enuresis can be considered complicated or uncomplicated. If your child suffers from nocturnal enuresis and daytime incontinence then he is likely to have uncomplicated enuresis. If your child suffers pain in the lower back or abdominal area upon urination then a urinary tract infection is likely the cause of the bed wetting problem. If your child does not have regular bowel movements then he likely suffers from constipation and constipation can cause bed wetting to take place. As well if your child has a difficult time passing a bowel movement then constipation is to blame and the child therefore requires more fiber in his daily diet to alleviate this health problem.

Related Articles

• What Parents Should Know About Bed Wetting - It is important for parents to be aware that children who wet their bed do not do it on purpose. The ....
• What Causes Bed Wetting? - Medical professionals have not been able to isolate any one specific reason for bed wetting and inst ....
• Bed wetting statistics - Wetting the bed is a problem that is faced by a surprisingly large number of children and even teena ....
• Signs and Symptoms of Bed Wetting - There is one main symptom that lets you know that bed wetting has become a problem. It is when “invo ....
• Bed Wetting in Adolescents - Wetting the bed as a preteen or teenager is not uncommon. It is estimated that approximately three p ....