Medical Terms for Bed-Wetting
Terms you may hear used for different types of bed-wetting
include:
- Enuresis, which is the lack of control over the
voiding of urine beyond the age at which control is normally achieved, usually
5 or 6.
- Nocturnal enuresis, which means bed-wetting, or the
accidental voiding of urine during sleep.
- Primary nocturnal
enuresis, which is accidental bed-wetting by a child who has never had bladder
control for 3 months in a row.
- Secondary nocturnal enuresis, which
is accidental bed-wetting by a child after he or she has been dry for a period
of time. This may indicate emotional stress, a medical problem such as a kidney
or bladder infection, or a birth defect that affects the urinary
tract.
- Monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis, which is bed-wetting in
the absence of any other symptoms. This accounts for 80% to 85% of nocturnal
enuresis cases.
- Polysymptomatic nocturnal enuresis, which is
bed-wetting associated with other bladder symptoms, such as back or belly pain,
fever, cloudy or pink urine, increased urgency and frequency of urination, or
crying or complaining when urinating.
-
Diurnal enuresis,
which is accidental voiding of urine while awake.
|
By
|
Healthwise Staff |
|
Primary Medical Reviewer
|
Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics |
|
Specialist Medical Reviewer
|
Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics |
|
Last Revised
|
October 26, 2010 |
Last Revised:
October 26, 2010