Frequency of bedwetting among primary school children in Benha city, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Nocturnal enuresis (NE), is a distressing experience for children and young people, and successful treatment invariably improves their psychological functioning.
Objectives: The overall objective was health promotion of school children, and the specific objectives were: to determine the frequency and risk factors of nocturnal enuresis (NE) among school children in Qaluobia governorate Egypt, and to examine its associations with behavioral and emotional problems.
Subjects and methods: This study was a cross-sectional study that was conducted during the academic year 2011/2012 on 450 students aged 6–12 years in Qaluobia governorate. A brief questionnaire was distributed to screen the enuretic children (No. 70) who were invited and their parents, after their consent to fill a well-designed questionnaire.
Results: Prevalence of NE was 15.7 %, where primary NE was 67.1%, and the secondary enuresis was 32.9% with a non significant difference (p> 0.05). There was a high significant difference among various treatment strategies with the highest applicable one was medications and the least applicable one was the usage of bed alarm as well as physical therapy means. There was a significant decrease in the frequency of NE by aging with the highest rate by the age of 6 years and the lowest by 12 years where it declined markedly. Positive family history was 30% among the involved students.
Conclusion: The prevalence of NE in Qaluobia governorate is slightly higher than some other areas of the world. The frequency of enuresis declines by aging process. The primary as well as the secondary enuresis is common among the selected age group. The different strategies of treatment for nocturnal enuresis play an important role in relieving such complaint, and positive history of enuresis through the family may worsen the problem of enuresis.

Keywords: Bedwetting; Primary enuresis; Secondary enuresis; Family troubles