Prevalence and risk factors of enuresis nocturna in primary school children in Denizli

Purpose: In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of enuresis nocturna in primary school children in Denizli. Materials and methods: The consent has been obtained from Ministry of Education of Denizli with the date of 30/03/2005 and the number of 8820. A total of 8 primary schools in Denizli city-center and 6 in the districts were randomly selected. The questionnaire which includes sociodemographic properties of families, medical histories of children and “Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Scoring System” were filled by the parents of 2353 children who are aged between 7-14. The children with a history of neurological/urological diseases and diurnal enuresis (daytime and nighttime wetting) were excluded. Descriptive, analytic and logistic regression analyses have been used for the statistical evaluations. Results: The participation rate was 91.9% (2164 people). The overall prevalence of enuresis nocturna was 19.2% with a tendency to decrease with increasing age. School performance of the child, socioeconomic level of the family, education levels of the parents, positive family history, daytime wetting, history of urinary tract in fection, constipation and dysfunctional voiding symptoms were statistically significant with enuresis nocturna (p<0.05). Male gender, early age, low educational performance of the mother and positive family history were independent risk factors for enuresis nocturna. Conclusion: Enuresis nocturna is a common health problem among primary school children. While planning the treatment strategies of enuretic children, associated risk factors for this condition should be considered. Our survey is the first cross-sectional study that investigates the micturation habits and prevalence of enuresis nocturna among Turkish primary school children by a Turkish validated symptom score. Pam Med J 2013;6(2):82-90