Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: bed wetting + bedwetting + wetting  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

May I Ask: Slow toilet training not always a problem Daily News Transcript, MA - Aug 4, 2008 Enuresis (pronounced en-yur-ee?-sis), refers to frequent wetting every week for at least three months past the age of 5. ... Youth Commission: What to do about bed-wetting Needham Times,  USA - Aug 4, 2008 Can you please give me some basic information on bed-wetting, its causes, treatment and anything I as a parent can do? Bed-wetting is common in children. ... Bed-wetting (nocturnal enuresis) goodtoknow, UK - Aug 4, 2008 For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of bed-wetting from patient.co.uk, read on. Bed-wetting is common. ... Bed-wetting spray linked to convulsions Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - Aug 2, 2008 A nasal spray designed to stop bed-wetting has triggered seizures in more than a dozen Australians, including seven children, authorities say. ... Desmopressin for bed-wetting linked to convulsions in children News-Medical.net, Australia - Aug 3, 2008 Australian authorities have issued a warning regarding a drug sometimes used to treat primary nocturnal enuresis (bed-wetting) in children. ... Nasal bed-wetting drug may cause side-effects CTV.ca, Canada - Jul 21, 2008 OTTAWA -- Health Canada is warning consumers that the nasal form of the drug desmopressin should not be used to treat bed-wetting because of the risk of ... Desmopressin Nasal Spray Linked to Seizures in Australia Newsinferno.com, NY - Aug 1, 2008 Desmopressin is used also to control bed-wetting and frequent urination and increased thirst associated with certain types of brain injuries or brain ... Vitamin triggers electric shocks in legs The Age all 16 news articles » Continence Awareness Week 1-6 September 2008 Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand - Aug 3, 2008 Childhood bed-wetting can be a sensitive issue for many parents. Children differ in their physical development, emotional maturity, and living environments. ... Strain of wars taken out upon families Richmond Times Dispatch, VA - Jul 21, 2008 ... hears it in the voices of deployed soldiers' children as they meet in groups to share accounts of nightmares, bed-wetting and heartache. ... HealthNewsDigest.com Hearing Loss, Lack of Sleep Impair Back-to-School Health HealthNewsDigest.com, NY - ... experience by causing daytime sleepiness, aggravating attention deficit disorder, and other behavioral issues, along with bed-wetting and slowed growth. ...

Why is my son still wetting the bed?

 Bedwetting is a common problem - at least one in twenty children, more often boys, still wet the bed by the age of ten. Children gradually learn to recognise the sensation of a full bladder and learn to 'hold on' in the day. They learn to wake up in the night to find a potty or toilet.

Despite much research, we do not know why some children develop night-time control of their bladders later than others, but it is not due to laziness or lack of will power. This type of bedwetting has usually been going on since your son was little and is called primary enuresis. It can be hereditary meaning that your son is somewhat more likely to wet the bed if you or your husband did so when you were children. The outlook is good and usually improves with age and with the measures described below.

If your son was previously dry at night and has recently started wetting the bed he needs to be thoroughly checked by his doctor. This type of bedwetting is called secondary enuresis and may be due to an underlying problem such as urine infections or diabetes which will need treatment.

Whatever his type of bedwetting your first step, if you have not already done so, is to see his doctor who will check your son does not have a physical cause for his bedwetting. The doctor will also check his urine does not contain glucose (a sign of diabetes) or protein or blood (signs of urine infection or kidney problems) all of which could make him wet the bed.

Your son may turn out to be like the vast majority of children of this age who wet at night but have nothing wrong with their urinary system. It is essential that you find out how keen he is to be dry at night before you seek further help as his own motivation is the key to success.

If he is not bothered by his bedwetting, frustrating as it may be for you it is better not to pressurise him to be dry at this stage. Perhaps over the next few weeks get him to talk about what he would like about being dry at night - if he cannot think of any advantages then ignore the problem for six months to a year as he is not yet ready to be dry.

Once he really wants to be dry at night his doctor can refer him to an enuresis clinic - your son may already be attending such a clinic. The word 'enuresis' means wetting and 'nocturnal enuresis' means bedwetting. The clinic is usually run by a nurse or health visitor trained in helping with enuresis.

Your son may be given an alarm which is a common aid offered over the age of seven or eight. The alarm helps your son to wake up to the sensation of a full bladder and to eventually 'hold on' when he gets the sensation.

Your family as a whole need to be motivated and committed for a period of up to three to four months. The success rate tends to be about 70 per cent although 10 to 20 per cent relapse at least once, but respond much quicker after a break to a second period of using the alarm.

Medication can be helpful if your son's wetting need to be stopped reliably and immediately, for example a school trip, holiday or sleepover at a friend's house. The commonest medication used these days is a drug called desmopressin. It reduces the amount of urine produced overnight and works in about 70 per cent of patients.

Some children use it continuously for a limited period, usually about six to eight weeks. There is no limit on the number of courses tried should he wet again. Desmopressin is available as tablets or a nasal spray.

Also consider using night time protection pants to give your son discreet overnight protection against bedwetting so he can wake up to dry sheets. The pants are plain white and look and feel like normal underwear being hardly noticeable under pyjamas. They can be very helpful if he is sleeping away from home.

Many parents ask about artificial food colourings. These are not known to be associated with bedwetting. However caffeine is present in many foods and drinks, being present in tea, coffee, cola drinks and some fizzy fruit flavoured drinks, chocolate and cocoa.

It is a diuretic; this means that if your son has drinks containing caffeine towards the end of the day or at bedtime he will produce more urine overnight making him more likely to wet the bed.

For further advice and help including details of specialist enuresis clinics in UK write to The Enuresis Resource and Information Centre (ERIC), 34 Old School House, Britannia Road, Kingswood, Bristol BS 15 2DB. You can also call them on 0117 960 3060 or fax the on 0117 960 0401 or visit their website at www.eric.org.uk.