ABSTRACT

Enuresis nocturna is one of the most commonly observed illnesses in childhood. In our study we evaluate the factors that cause enuresis nocturna and the behavior of the parents to this disease. The condition of the houses they live in, their success in school, their pattern of sleep and the other factors that cause enuresis nocturna were investigated.

Data of 365 cases who admitted to our hospital with bedwetting and had been diagnosed as enuresis nocturna between 1 January 2006-31 January 2008 were evaluated.

The 192 (53%) cases were boys , mean age of the patients was 8±2.5 years (5-16 year). The 221 patients (60.5%) had enuresis nocturna in their family history. 301 of the patients were students; 60 of them had grades just above critical while 21 had worse. Bedtime was at 00:00 A.M. in 36 (%10) patients and at 01:00 A.M. in 4 (1%) patients. Regarding the quality of sleep, 254 (69.6%) patients sleeps deeply, 110 patients (30.1%) normal and one patient had catnap sleep (0.3%). Most of the parents (n: 300) took a bright view of using drugs while 34 parents took a dim view concerning the side effects.

Positive family history, the wrong behaviors of the parents, sleep disorders and low socio-economic status can support the enuresis nocturna disease.

Keywords: Enuresis nocturna, sleep disorders, socio-economic status