Retrospective Evaluation of Demographic Characteristics and Risk Factors in Children with Nocturnal Enuresis

Abstract

Background: Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is a common pediatric condition with a multifactorial etiology involving developmental, genetic, and environmental factors. Despite its high prevalence, the relative contribution of commonly proposed risk factors remains unclear. Methods: This single center, retrospective cross sectional study included 55 children aged ≥ 5 years who presented with nocturnal enuresis between June and December 2018 at a tertiary care center. Demographic characteristics, clinical parameters including family history, urinary tract infection (UTI), and constipation, as well as laboratory and urinary ultrasonography findings, were systematically evaluated. Statistical analyses were executed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26.0) and Jamovi (Version 2.3), utilizing non parametric tests and Chi square analysis, with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of the patients was 8.53±2.47 years, with a marked male predominance (74.1%). A positive family history was identified in 14.5% of cases. UTI was detected in 31% of patients, while the majority of ultrasonographic evaluations were normal (67.3%). No statistically significant associations were observed between enuresis onset age and clinical variables including UTI, family history, gender, constipation, or ultrasonographic findings (p>0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusions: Nocturnal enuresis appears to be more prevalent in males and is not significantly associated with commonly evaluated clinical or structural factors in this cohort. These findings support the concept of NE as a predominantly functional disorder and suggest that extensive diagnostic evaluation may not be necessary in uncomplicated cases. Further large scale, multicenter studies are warranted to better define contributing factors and optimize management strategies.