Enuresis: what it means and how it is treated

What does enuresis mean?

Enuresis means involuntary wetting in a child aged five or older. The word comes from Greek and means "to urinate in". When it happens during sleep it is called nocturnal enuresis — in everyday language, bedwetting. A person with enuresis is sometimes described as enuretic.

Nocturnal and daytime enuresis

Nocturnal enuresis means wetting during sleep only. Daytime wetting is today usually called daytime incontinence. Some children have both, and they should be assessed by a nurse or doctor first.

Primary and secondary enuresis

• Primary enuresis: the child has never been dry for six months in a row. This is by far the most common form.
• Secondary enuresis: wetting returns after at least six dry months. It is worth seeing a doctor to look for a cause, such as infection, constipation or stress.

Monosymptomatic enuresis

When a child only wets at night and has no other bladder symptoms, doctors call it monosymptomatic enuresis. It usually responds well to an enuresis alarm or desmopressin.

What causes enuresis?

• The brain does not wake up to the signal from a full bladder.
• The body makes more urine at night than the bladder can hold.
• An overactive or small bladder.
• Heredity — enuresis often runs in families.
• Constipation, which presses on the bladder.

How is enuresis treated?

The two first-line treatments are the enuresis alarm and the medicine desmopressin. The alarm has the lowest relapse rate, because the brain learns a new habit. Simple routines — drinking well during the day, emptying the bladder before bed, treating constipation — support both.