Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002 Oct;7(8):521-3.
doi: 10.1093/pch/7.8.521.

Enuresis: A maturational lag

Norman M Wolfish  1
Affiliations

Enuresis: A maturational lag

Norman M Wolfish. Paediatr Child Health. 2002 Oct.

Abstract
in English, French

ENURESIS IS NOT A DISEASE, BUT A DISORDER CAUSED BY DELAYS IN THE MATURATION OF THREE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES: persistence of spontaneous bladder contractions, bladder volume exceeding the nocturnal functional bladder capacity and persistence of elevated sleep/arousal thresholds. Enuresis has been subtyped into two different groups, depending on whether the predominant feature is frequent small voidings (excessive bladder contractions) or large urinary volume (volume-dependent). The clinical pattern demonstrated by the enuretic child depends on the severity of the maturational lag. In practice, a mix of these types is most common.

L’énurésie n’est pas une maladie, mais une pathologie causée par un retard de maturation de trois processus physiologiques : la persistance des contractions vésicales spontanées, un volume vésical supérieur à la capacité nocturne d’une vessie fonctionnelle et la persistance de seuils élevés entre le sommeil et l’éveil. L’énurésie a été sous-typée en deux groupes, selon que la caractéristique pré-dominante soit des mictions fréquentes et peu importantes (contractions vésicales excessives) ou un volume urinaire élevé (tributaire du volume). Le tableau clinique démontré par l’enfant énurétique dépend de la gravité du retard de maturation. En pra-tique, un mélange des types est plus courant.

Keywords: Bladder contractions; Bladder volume; Enuresis; Volume-dependent.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1)
Figure 1)
Interplay of the maturational factors responsible for enuresis. ADH Antidiuretic hormone
Figure 2)
Figure 2)
Comparison of infant, enuretic and adult sleep/arousal patterns (rapid eye movement versus nonrapid eye movement)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nevéus T. Enuresis, background and treatment. Scand J Urol Nephrol. 2000;34(Suppl 206):1–44. - PubMed
    1. Wolfish NM. Sleep arousal and enuresis subtypes. J Urol. 2001;166:2444–7. - PubMed
    1. Lapides J, Sweet RB, Lewis LW. The role of striated muscle in urination. J Urol. 1957;77:247–51. - PubMed
    1. de Groat WC, Booth AM. Physiology of the urinary bladder and urethra. Ann Intern Med. 1980;92:312–5. - PubMed
    1. Starfield B. Functional bladder capacity in enuretic and nonenuretic children. J Pediatr. 1967;39:87–93. - PubMed