Definition

Bed-wetting is when a child over 5 years old urinates during sleep.

Urinary System in Child Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.

Causes

Bed-wetting is common and not usually related to a health problem. Causes may be:

• Drinking too much fluid before bed
• Constipation
• Developmental delay problems

Rarely, a health problem may cause bed-wetting. Examples are:

• Psychological triggers, such as moving to a new home or the death of a loved one
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• A sleep disorder, sometimes related to enlarged tonsils or adenoids
• Diabetes insipidus—a rare disorder in which sugar is normal but excess water is excreted by the kidney
• Kidney disease
• Bladder obstruction

Risk Factors

Bed-wetting is more common in boys before 9 years old. Other things that may raise a child's risk of this problem are:

• Family members with a history of bed-wetting
• Chronic constipation
• Anxiety
• Sleep apnea
• Sickle cell disease

Symptoms

The child wakes up and finds the bed wet from urine.

Diagnosis

You will be asked about your child's symptoms and health and family history. You will also be asked how often and how long your child has been wetting the bed. A physical exam will be done. Bed-wetting is often diagnosed in children over 5 years old who wet the bed more than twice a week for 3 months or more.

Blood or urine tests may be done to find out whether an illness is causing this problem.

Images may be taken when the doctor suspects an abnormality may be the cause of the bed-wetting. This can be done with:

• Ultrasound
• X-rays

Treatment

Any underlying health problems that cause bed-wetting will be treated. Bed-wetting that is not due to a health problem often goes away on its own. The goal of treatment is to limit the number of bed-wettings. This can be done with:

Prevention

There are no known ways to prevent bed-wetting in a child.