Night Voiding
October 25th, 2009 Posted by: admin
Night voiding, or enuresis, refers to urinary incontinence while asleep. When this occurs in children under age six, it is called bed wetting and usually is not considered abnormal. Some youngsters continue to wet the bed, perhaps infrequently, until the teen years; the problem usually disappears by adulthood. Theories abound as to why some children continue to bed-wet long after achieving daytime bladder control, but the reason remains unknown. Boys outnumber girls, and there may be a hereditary link because, in many cases, their fathers were also bed wetter’s. Some experts think that bladder size and maturation playa role. Foods that cause bladder irritation may promote night voiding. Occasionally, an emotional upset can prompt a previously toilet trained child to revert to bed wetting, but only temporarily as a rule. In adults, night voiding is generally due to an underlying medical disorder such as diabetes, chronic urinary tract infections, or a structural or nerve problem. In older men, an enlarged prostate is a common cause. Older women often develop urge incontinence, or spastic bladder, a condition that is characterized by a sudden and overwhelming need to urinate. The problem is caused by instability of the bladder’s detrusor muscle, which contracts unpredictably, releasing urine.
Other Causes of Night Voiding
Loss of urinary control is common in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia’s. Multiple sclerosis, stroke, and spinal cord injuries can also lead to loss of bladder control.
