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18 May 2006
Bed Wetting Affects A Significant Number Of Adolescents 
Three percent of teenagers still wet the bed, according to research published in the British Journal of Urology International. The surprisingly high figure should somewhat reassure parents of adolescents with the problem, but researcher Chung K Yeung stressed the importance of seeking advice in severe cases - which can often be caused by underlying medical problems. Bed wetting appears to mostly affect males, but girls aren't far behind, the report noted. The researchers found that although bed wetting was less common as children got older, the percentage reporting severe problems increased with age. The research found that: - Younger children reported more frequent mild bed wetting, with 58 percent of 5-10 year-olds and 18 percent of 11-19 year-olds wetting the bed less than three times a week.
- Older children reported a higher level of severe problems, with 82 percent of 11-19 year-olds wetting the bed more than three times a week, compared with 42 percent of five to ten year-olds.
- At age 19, around 3 percent of boys and 2 percent of girls were still wetting the bed.
- Around 29 percent of children aged 11-19 experienced daytime incontinence.
Professor Yeung said bed wetting showed a general reduction as children got older. "However, this reduction was much greater in those with mild symptoms who wet the bed three or less times a week, compared to those with severe problems who were wetting the bed every night," he added. "Our findings challenge the myth that bedwetting will always get better and disappear as the child gets older," said Professor Yeung. "In 2004 we published findings of a previous study that showed that adults showed no significant decrease in bed wetting problems from the age of 10 to 40. These latest findings underline the importance of seeking help for children with severe bed wetting problems, especially if they continue into adolescence. [Otherwise] the evidence suggests that they will continue to experience ongoing problems when they become adults." Source: British Journal of Urology International
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