Definition

Bedwetting, or enuresis, is a childhood condition of urinating in bed while asleep at night. It is a chronic condition that often resolves by itself before the teenage years.

Description

One of the major tasks of toddlerhood is to learn how to achieve conscious control over the timing of urination. Most children do not become fully toilet trained until they are about two to four years old. Before then, the parts of the nervous system in charge of bladder control are not fully developed and functional. In general, boys take longer to learn to control their bladders than girls, and daytime bladder control is easier for a child than overnight bladder control. There is a genetic aspect to bedwetting, so that parents who once had the condition often have children who wet the bed at night.

Causes & symptoms

Bedwetting is often due to the normal immaturity of the nervous system and the...