Prevalence of nocturnal enuresis among children in Primary Health Care Centers of Family and Community Medicine, PSMMC, Riyadh City, KSA

BACKGROUND: Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is commonly known as any intermittent incontinence while asleep in a child being at least 5-year old. The families of the children having this disorder can be greatly worried because this disorder can lead to considerable emotional distress and some psychological consequences. This study is aimed to estimate the prevalence of NE among children and to identify the characteristics of children who has NE. The third aim is to identify the consultation pattern to solve this problem. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed in Primary Health Care Centers of Family and Community Medicine, PSMMC, Riyadh City, KSA, during 2017. RESULTS: Out of 65 families that have children with NE, 38.7% was the frequency of bedwetting every night; 22.6% of the children were stressed as a result of new child birth; 14% of the families did not feel a family load of having children with NE; 29% of the families did not try to treat their children because of their improvement with time; and 12% of the families that tried to treat their children used fluid restriction and waked their children up frequently at night. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of NE was 18.5% among families with a higher prevalence in boys. Prevalence of NE decreased with increasing age with many children found of having stressful events in their life other than parents’ divorce. We would like to refer that it is important for families that have children with NE to seek medical consultation immediately, which can lead to behavioral modifications.