Children With Sleep Apnea at Higher Risk for Bedwetting

Kids who have disordered breathing during sleep are also more likely to wet the bed, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

One hundred sixty 4- to 17-year-old boys and girls who were referred to a sleep clinic for possible sleep-disordered breathing (SDB or sleep apnea) answered questions about their sleep habits and underwent a physical exam. The children and their families were asked whether each child currently wets the bed and if so, how many times per week. In addition, each child was observed and monitored overnight in the hospital for SDB.

Forty-one percent of the children referred to the sleep clinic currently wet the bed, and boys were more likely to wet the bed than girls. Children who experienced more than one episode of SDB per hour were more likely to have nighttime bedwetting (also called enuresis). In addition, children who had higher scores on the respiratory disturbance index wet the bed more frequently than children with lower scores.

What This Means to You: According to the results of this study, there's a high prevalence of bedwetting among children with SDB. The study's researchers theorize that SDB may decrease a child's ability to wake up and realize they need to use the toilet. In addition, it's been shown that SDB can put extra pressure on a child's bladder. A change in the levels of urine-controlling hormones in children with SDB might also play a role.

Other studies have found that treatment of SDB has caused enuresis to stop in some children with SDB. Both SDB and enuresis can be treated. Talk to your child's doctor if your child has problems sleeping, is difficult to wake up during sleep, or wets the bed frequently.

Source: Lee J. Brooks, MD; Howard I. Topol; Journal of Pediatrics, May 2003

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: June 2003

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