Bedwetting is a genetic and can be successfully treated with medicines, according to Indian researchers. It is a common physiological problem and not a habit or psychological problem and stern punishments only worsen the condition instead of curing it.
Bedwetting if not treated timely can lead to the prevalence of the disease amongst adults.
Recent incidents of killing a niece in Indore because she wetted the bed and earlier in Tamil Nadu where a class 9 student was made to drink his urine and a 10-year-old girl in Kolkata to lick her own urine in school, have attracted eyeballs to this problem of Bedwetting amongst kids.
Bedwetting also known as enuresis has many un-known sufferers, but incidents like this which have come out in open, has for the first time attracted the limelight to this disease, which is surrounded by myths.
"Punishing a bed-wetter is the most common mistake a parent makes. It's not a lack of effort on part of the child that causes him to bed-wet. There are a number of factors at work that are beyond his control. Punishment like beating them, embarrassing them, or the more recent ones where parents or teachers make the kid have his/her own Urine will worsen the case and affect the kid psychologically. Parents should be counselled regarding bedwetting and remedial measures to be undertaken," Dr Shobha Sharma from Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, said.
When a child wets his/her bed 2 times a week for at-least three weeks, a child is said to suffer from Bedwetting.
Bed-wetting can be Primary - where the child never had bladder control - or Secondary - where the child had achieved control for 6 months and lost same later.
It is a very common problem and affects 12-25 percent amongst four years old and 8-10 percent amongst children 8 years old.
Bedwetting can be very distressing for both children and families. It causes low self-esteem, anxiety, sadness or depression, which results in reduced quality of sleep, poor school performance, and psychological disorder.
Also there have been instances seen where the prevalence of bedwetting decreases with increasing age but frequency and severity increases. The proportion wetting of 3 times per week doubles from 44 percent at age 5 to 90 percent at 19 years of age.
Hence it is very important that active treatment is given to kids at a young age itself explains Dr. Vivek Rege from Nova Specialty Surgery, Saifee Hospital, Wadia Children Hospital, Mediheight Shreeji Hosp, Fortis Hospital Mumbai.
"Bedwetting has a very scientific reason, which can be controlled with medicines. In normal subjects, levels of the naturally occurring hormone 'vasopressin' increase at night - reducing urinary output. This fails to occur in kids with bed wetting problem so the child continues to produce significant urine volume during the night and fill the bladder," Rage said.
"When the signal to empty the full bladder is not "heard" in the child's brain, bedwetting occurs. Hence bedwetting is a physiological problem and not psychological and can be successfully treated with medicines like vasopressin analogue, desmopressin," he added.
Prompt treatment with doctor's consultation and motivation and support from family members can help the kid get rid of Bed-wetting completely.