Children's bedwetting can be caused by constipation

Some children who may get constipated in their bed when wet can find a new study.

Researchers examined 30 children and adolescents who were treated for bed-wetting and found some rekta that were raised with stools, despite normal stool habits.

After Treatment of Children with laxatives, 25 of the 30 participants did not get their beds wet for the next three months.

"Children suffer for no reason", said lead author Dr. Steve Hodges, a pediatric urologist at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina.

"This study shows how stool left in the rectum causes the rectum to expand and against the bladder, making it difficult to hold your urine", said Hodges.

The study was published in the journal Urologie on January 27th.

As you know, if your child has constipation

About 15 percent of children in the US wet their beds after 3 years, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. More boys wet their beds thangirls.

Hodges said the connection between bedwetting and excess stool in the rectum was first reported in a 1986 study, but the finding did not change how doctors treated the condition.

"Constipation has not been diagnosed for years and therefore untreated," he said.

Hodges said thinks it can be due to a lack of understanding of what constipation means.

"The definition of constipation is confusing, and children and their parents are often unaware that the child is constipated," he said.

Monitoring the child’s bowel movements isn’t enough to identify a problem, Hodges said. He recommends parents should look at the size of the child’s stool-stool that is heavy, or wider than 2 inches, could be a sign of constipation, so parents should speak to their doctor, he said.

More than one factor related to bedwetting

In the study, the researchers examined abdominal x-rays from the 30 children who had bedwetting problems, including 19 boys and 11 girls between 5 and 15 years of age. All x-rays showed excess stools in her rectum.

Children were treated with a stool softener. Enemas or laxatives were used for children who had still enlarged. After treatment, researchers found 25 children no longer got their bed wet within three months.

"It is not yet common belief that gut health plays a role in bedwetting," said Dr. Lane Robson, pediatric urologist and director of the children’s clinic in Canada, who was not involved in the research.

Yet, "There is more and more evidence of constipation points and that’s a big deal", he said. "Always more Parents should know about it."

But Robson said that aggressive treatment for constipation isn’t the only answer.

"Bedwetting is also a combination of the kidneys making more urine than [the bladder] can absorb and a child having trouble waking up at night using the toilet," said Robson.

He recommended making sure that the child stays hydrated. "Limitation of fluids in the evening not healthy", he said. In fact, perpetuated liquids restrict bedwetting at night.

He said that children should be taught to wake up at night using a bedwetting alarm to improve the child’s gut health and hydration.

"There is no quick fix here," he said.

Pass it on: Bedwetting in children could be caused by undiagnosed constipation.

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