AimThere have not been any continence-specific measurement tools in Swedish that have allowed clinicians to investigate the quality of life (QoL) in children with bladder dysfunction. This study evaluated the QoL in Swedish children with nocturnal enuresis and tested the reliability of a Swedish translation of the Paediatric Incontinence Questionnaire (PinQ). MethodsThis prospective study comprised 46 children aged six to 18 years with nocturnal enuresis, who completed the PinQ after it was translated into Swedish. It was completed twice by 33 patients, and these responses were included in the test-retest evaluation. ResultsThe self-reported mean sum score for the whole group was 26.3 13.37 (range: 5-58), and the most affected domains were social relations with peers and self-esteem. The highest individual scores were four, three or two for 71.7%, 17.4% and 10.9% of the study population, respectively. Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 for the whole questionnaire, indicating good internal consistency. The test-retest stability was excellent, with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.76. ConclusionChildren with nocturnal enuresis had impaired self-esteem, and their impaired QoL affected their relationships with friends. The Swedish version of the PinQ proved to be a reliable tool that will be used in further studies.

Introduction: Nocturnal enuresis and sleep disordered breathing are common childhood problems that are reported to be associated with each other. Sleep disordered breathing is often found in children with upper airway obstruction and, according to some studies, its presence is associated with an increased risk of nocturnal enuresis. Respiration during sleep in children with therapy-resistant enuresis, but no history of snoring or sleep apneas, has previously been investigated, and subclinical signs of disordered respiration were found in this group. However, sleep disordered breathing in enuretic children without a history of snoring or sleep apneas has not been thoroughly studied before.

Aim: To evaluate sleep disordered breathing in enuretic children and compare them with healthy control children.

Subjects and methods: Children aged 8-13 years with nocturnal enuresis were included. Exclusion criteria were: daytime incontinence, on-going anti-enuretic treatment, and concomitant urological, endocrinological, nephrological or psychiatric disorders. Twenty children (19 boys and 1 girl) suffering from therapy-resistant nocturnal enuresis, and 21 healthy controls (18 boys and 3 girls) underwent one night of polygraphic sleep registration focused on respiratory variables. The registration included electroencephalography as well as assessment of respiratory movements, nasal airflow and oxygen saturation; it was performed with a portable sleep device at the subjects' homes. In addition to this, OSA 18, a health-related quality of life instrument, was used to evaluate subjective issues related to sleep and breathing.

Results: The mean apnea hypopnea index values were 0.96 +/- 0.8 for the patient group and 0.46 +/- 0.4 for the control group. The oxygen desaturation index was slightly higher for the children with nocturnal enuresis compared with the healthy controls (P = 0.05). No other differences were found in the respiratory variables. Both groups of children showed low levels of arousals (Summary Table). The enuretic children reported significantly more subjective sleep disturbances and a lower quality of life than their healthy peers.

Discussion: This was the first controlled study of sleep disordered breathing in children with nocturnal enuresis. One limitation of the study was that some variables were known to be underestimated when scoring polygraphic data. The apnea hypopnea index was such a variable and was indeed lower than in a previous study.

Conclusion: No major differences in respiration during sleep were found between enuretic children and controls.

Objective:

To investigate whether rapid maxillary expansion (RME) is a useful treatment method for nocturnal enuresis (NE) and whether the treatment effect is due to placebo. The study also aimed to identify prognostic variables in patients responding to treatment.

Materials and Methods:

Thirty-eight children with therapy-resistant NE were recruited and randomized into two groups: the intervention group or placebo group. Both groups were treated with RME, but the placebo group received treatment with a sham appliance for 2 weeks before having the actual treatment. A medical history focused on micturition habits, previous treatment, heredity, and sleep disorders was taken. Daytime voided volumes and nocturnal urine production during wet nights were recorded before the intervention.

Results:

Of the 38 patients recruited, two dropped out as one patient was unable to take dental impressions and one refused to have the appliance fitted. There was a statistically significant reduction of wet nights after the RME treatment (P<.001). No significant reduction was found after the placebo treatment (P<.40). Eleven patients (35%) had their enuresis frequency reduced by >50%. Large voiding volume and a wide maxilla at baseline had a strong association with positive treatment outcome.

Conclusions:

RME has a modest effect on children with therapy-resistant NE. The treatment outcome does not seem to be due to a placebo effect of the appliance. A wide maxillary width and large voiding volume at baseline seem to be positive predictors regarding response to treatment.