Management of nocturnal enuresis

Abstract 

Nocturnal enuresis is extremely prevalent in childhood. It often results in social withdrawal, emotional distress, lowered self esteem and the build up of parental tension and annoyance. Treatment in the past has tended to be advocated according to professional preference. A recent model — the three systems — proposes that the problem may be understood in terms of bladder instability and/or a lack of arginine vasopressin release coupled with a difficulty in waking to bladder sensations. Advocating treatment interventions that address the child's particular difficulty, it is argued, will improve effectiveness and assist the majority of children in becoming dry.

Keywords: nocturnal enuresis, three-systems model, treatment

No full text is available. To read the body of this article, please view the PDF online.

• f1 E-mail: drbutler-lcmh@cwcom.net.