Welcome
This website was created by a pharmacy student to educate pharmacy students about primary nocturnal enuresis in children.
Over 500,000 Canadian children struggle with nocturnal enuresis. This is a prevalent problem causing significant psychological effects in those children affected.
80% of parents would like if health care professionals brought up enuresis, however, most parents feel hesitant to initiate the discussion. This points out the great role that pharmacists can play in the management of nocturnal enuresis. This can be when a parent brings in a prescription for a bedwetting medication, is searching for a bedwetting alarm, or even if you notice that a parent is always buying training pants for his or her older child.
Definitions
Enuresis is the "repeated involuntary or inappropriate voiding of urine by day or night that is not caused by a general medical condition." The terms "enuresis" and "bedwetting" are sometimes both used to convey the same meaning, however, there are technically more types of enuresis.
Daytime, or diurnal enuresis is when patients experience wetting while they are awake. It is associated with symptoms such as frequency and urgency.
Nighttime, or nocturnal enuresis is when patients wet themselves while they are asleep. It is also called bedwetting. There are two types of nocturnal enuresis, primary and secondary. Primary is when the patient has never had a period of dryness. Secondary is when the patient was previously dry for at least six months, and then returned to bedwetting (which may be as a result of any number of reasons.) Nocturnal symptoms are more common, and 20% of patients with nocturnal enuresis experience daytime symptoms.
Mixed enuresis features symptoms of both diurnal and nocturnal enuresis.
80% of parents would like if health care professionals brought up enuresis, however, most parents feel hesitant to initiate the discussion. This points out the great role that pharmacists can play in the management of nocturnal enuresis. This can be when a parent brings in a prescription for a bedwetting medication, is searching for a bedwetting alarm, or even if you notice that a parent is always buying training pants for his or her older child.
Definitions
Enuresis is the "repeated involuntary or inappropriate voiding of urine by day or night that is not caused by a general medical condition." The terms "enuresis" and "bedwetting" are sometimes both used to convey the same meaning, however, there are technically more types of enuresis.
Daytime, or diurnal enuresis is when patients experience wetting while they are awake. It is associated with symptoms such as frequency and urgency.
Nighttime, or nocturnal enuresis is when patients wet themselves while they are asleep. It is also called bedwetting. There are two types of nocturnal enuresis, primary and secondary. Primary is when the patient has never had a period of dryness. Secondary is when the patient was previously dry for at least six months, and then returned to bedwetting (which may be as a result of any number of reasons.) Nocturnal symptoms are more common, and 20% of patients with nocturnal enuresis experience daytime symptoms.
Mixed enuresis features symptoms of both diurnal and nocturnal enuresis.
The following aspects of nocturnal enuresis are discussed on this website: prevalence, causes, risk factors, myths, impact, non-pharmacological treatments, pharmacological treatments, alternative treatments, age-related considerations, expert opinion on special cases, follow-up and monitoring, counselling points for parents, and resources available for parents.
References:
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Text rev. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association 2000:39–134.
Dopheide JA, Pliszka SR. Chapter 72. Childhood Disorders. In: Talbert RL, DiPiro JT, Matzke GR, Posey LM, Wells BG, Yee GC, eds. Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2011. http://www.accesspharmacy.com.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/content.aspx?aID=7986907. Accessed Mar 20, 2013.
Tu ND, Baskin LS, Arnhym AM. Etiology and evaluation of nocturnal enuresis in children. In: Basow DS (ed). UpToDate. Waltham, MA: UpToDate; 2013. www.uptodate.com. Updated Dec 4, 2012. Accessed Mar 18, 2013.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Text rev. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association 2000:39–134.
Dopheide JA, Pliszka SR. Chapter 72. Childhood Disorders. In: Talbert RL, DiPiro JT, Matzke GR, Posey LM, Wells BG, Yee GC, eds. Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2011. http://www.accesspharmacy.com.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/content.aspx?aID=7986907. Accessed Mar 20, 2013.
Tu ND, Baskin LS, Arnhym AM. Etiology and evaluation of nocturnal enuresis in children. In: Basow DS (ed). UpToDate. Waltham, MA: UpToDate; 2013. www.uptodate.com. Updated Dec 4, 2012. Accessed Mar 18, 2013.