Urinary incontinence in children

Urinary incontinence ( enuresis ) is often observed in childhood: in children under 4 years of age, its prevalence reaches 30%, and among boys and girls 6 years of age - 10%. In the article we will pay attention to the following questions: what kinds of urinary incontinence exist in children and what are the causes of this problem.

Nocturnal enuresis in children is more common. In most cases - in boys. If the incontinence suffers for a toddler up to 3 years old - do not worry, because it is considered a normal physiological phenomenon. It's just that the child is not yet fully mature nervous system and the conditioned reflex is poorly developed (it is formed the first three years). If a girl or boy after 3 years continues to wake up in a wet crib, then fathers and mothers need to pay special attention to this. Nocturnal urinary incontinence in children is not a disease, it is a signal to parents: your child has another health problem and needs to be urgently addressed.

Day incontinence occurs in children due to emotional or neurological problems. This enuresis is more common in shy children, with an unstable psyche.

Causes of urinary incontinence in children

To choose any method of treatment, you must first accurately establish because of what there was a child's enuresis. And the reasons for urinary incontinence in a child may be different, namely:

• infection of the genitourinary system;
• defects in the development of the bladder, urinary tract;
• impaired kidney function;
• diabetes;
• stress, psychological factors;
• heredity;
• insufficient maturity of the nervous system.

Imperative (insuperable) urinary incontinence in children is characterized by the fact that the urine is not controlled. Normally, the baby delays urinating for some time after the appearance of the first urge. On the contrary, boys and girls with imperative incontinence can not restrain themselves for long. More often the cause of imperative incontinence is the infectious inflammatory process of the kidneys or bladder. Therefore, first the doctor should give a referral to urine tests to correctly establish the cause of enuresis in the child.

If, on the contrary, there are no pathologies on the part of the urinary system, that there is a disturbance of the central nervous system, i.e. the brain does not receive timely information about the overflowing bladder. Quite often, children may experience stress urinary incontinence. To such a type of enuresis can lead, for example, such factors: the change of kindergarten or school; conflicts between parents; the appearance of a second child and, as a result, a lack of attention, love from the mother and father; physical punishment; excessive rigor in education, etc.

Because the reasons for the appearance of enuresis in the child may be different, it is important for the doctor to find out which of them causes the problem and then select an acceptable method of treatment.