Prevalence of Nocturnal Enuresis and Related Factors in Children Aged 5-13 in Istanbul

OBJECTIVE: Enuresis is a health problem frequently encountered in childhood. This study was carried out in two socio-demographically different districts of the province of Istanbul, for the purpose of determining the relationship between the prevalence of primary nocturnal enuresis and certain demographic characteristics. METHODS: The study design is a cross-sectional carried out on 420 children (5 to 13 yr old) through random sampling. The research was conducted at two health centers in two different districts in the province of Istanbul. Data was collected with a questionnaire created by the researchers. Diagnosis of enuresis considered nocturnal voiding twice a week for at least three consecutive months. FINDINGS: Enuresis was a complaint expressed by 16.2% of the cases in the study group; 8.3% reported intermittent bedwetting. The data collected in the two districts pointed to a significant difference in terms of the frequency of enuresis in favor of the district where socio-demographic features were inferior (P<0.005). When family histories were explored in cases of children with enuresis, it was found that the mothers of 76.2% had the problem of enuresis while 14.9% had enuretic fathers. Thus statistically, the presence of enuresis in the family history was seen to have had a markedly significant impact on the occurrence of enuresis in the child (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that familial predisposition to the condition constituted a more significant risk factor for enuresis compared to socio-demographic or economic characteristics.