Bed-wetting in teen years can lead to anxiety

Q: I'm a teenager who still wets the bed. Is this common and what can I do about it?

A: The clinical name for bed-wetting is nocturnal enuresis.

The most common form, monosymptomatic, means the child or teenager voids normally by day, but wets the bed most nights. This condition is seen in nearly one in five children under 12. It persists in one percent to three percent of teenagers, and, rarely, into adulthood.

The most common cause is genetic. There is nearly a 50 percent chance the child of a bed wetter will have the problem.

When bed-wetting is polysymptomatic - associated with daytime symptoms, urinary tract infections, and constipation - the causes are complex and need a thorough evaluation.

Inconvenience is the major problem. Children may risk embarrassment at sleepovers or camps. I will even see a teenager now and then who comes for evaluation because he is off to college and will be staying in a dorm.

If bed-wetting continues into teenage years and is not resolving (the number of wet nights is not decreasing), then I recommend an evaluation with a pediatrician, who may elect to consult a pediatric urologist to discuss nonmedical and medical options. Care is highly successful for this condition.

- Dr. Aseem Shukla with staff writer Curtis Skinner