One in 50 teenagers still wet the bed

One in 50 teenagers still wet the bed and almost half of 19 year-olds who have the problem are wetting the bed every night, according to research published in the May issue of the urology journal BJUI International.

Professor Chung K Yeung from the Chinese University of Hong Kong teamed up with colleagues from the Prince of Wales Hospital to analyse the results of more than 16,500 questionnaires surveying children aged from five to 19.

He hopes that his findings will reassure parents of children with mild bed wetting problems, but stress the importance of seeking advice in severe cases, which can often be caused by underlying medical problems and continue into adulthood.

512 children – just over three per cent of those surveyed – reported night-time bedwetting and one in five of those also had daytime incontinence. 302 were boys and 210 were girls.

The researchers found that although bed wetting was less common as children got older, the percentage reporting severe problems increased with age.

Children and adolescents who wet the bed at night also showed a similar pattern when it came to daytime incontinence, with a higher percentage of problems reported in older age groups.

When the researchers looked in detail at the 512 children with bed wetting problems they found that:

* Mild bed wetting was much worse among younger children, with 58 per cent of five to ten year-olds and 18 per cent of 11-19 year-olds wetting the bed less than three times a week.

* But older children reported a higher level of severe problems, with 82 per cent of 11-19 year-olds wetting the bed more than three times a week, compared with 42 per cent of five to ten year-olds.

* Just over 16 per cent of five year-olds wet the bed, with boys (21 per cent) having almost twice as many problems as girls (11 per cent).

* By the age of 19, three per cent of boys and two per cent of girls were still wetting the bed.

* Just under a third of 11-19 year-old boys (32 per cent) also experienced daytime incontinence, almost double the 15 per cent recorded in the under ten age group.

* The figures for girls were lower but showed a similar trend, at 25.5 per cent for 11-19 year-olds and 12 per cent for girls under ten.

* Overall, 29 per cent of children aged 11-19 experienced daytime incontinence, compared with 14 cent of under tens.

“Bed wetting showed a general reduction as children got older” says Professor Yeung, who is also President of the International Children’s Continence Society. “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.

“Just over 14 per cent of five year-olds who wet the bed did so seven nights a week. By the age of 19, severe bed wetting accounted for over 48 per cent of teenagers who were still wetting the bed.”

21,000 questionnaires were distributed to 67 schools, with a greater emphasis on children over ten, and just under 79 per cent were returned by parents and children.

The average age of respondents was just under 14 and the largest number of responses were from teenagers aged 16-18. 24 per cent of the questionnaires concerned children under ten.

“Our findings challenge the myth that bedwetting will always get better and disappear as the child gets older” says Professor Yeung.

“In 2004 we published findings of a previous study in BJU International 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. If these individuals are left untreated, the evidence suggests that they will continue to experience ongoing problems when they become adults.”

From Blackwell Publishing


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653 thoughts on “One in 50 teenagers still wet the bed”

  1. Just one of those things :) Every now and then I ‘wet’ :) I am a guy and it is sort of embassing

  5. Being a mom of bedwetters, I have some thoughts on night diapers and protection that might be of help to you. First we use cloth diapers and plastic pants because using disposables would be cost prohibative with 3 bedwetters. As the child gets older and becomes uncomfortable with parents putting the diapers on you can do a couple of things. 1st have the child position themselves on the diaper and pull it between the legs and then call you and you can go into the room and pin the diapers. 2nd you can fold the diapers together and leave them on the bed, the child can place the diapers inside of their underwear, pull the plastic pants on over and put on their pj’s or nightgown. They can then show you that the plastic pants are completely covering the diapers. Our oldest 2 do this, Our youngest does this most of the time except when she is to tired and then she wants me to do it all. In the warm weather all 3 sleep in just their diapers and plastic pants. It’s up to the parents to set the mood for how bedwetting is to be handled, but no matter how it is handled everyone should be comfortble.

  6. Hi,i am 16 and a bedwetter for the past two years.my bedwetting is due to weakend bladder muscles from depression i seffered two years ago from the loss of my dad due to a heart attack.I am not afraid to admit that i wear a thick cloth diaper and plastic pants[aka rubberpants] to bed every night.they work for me and keep my bed dry.i tried the disposables and they leaked and gave me rashes.Some people think wearing a cloth diaper and rubberpants for bedwetting is to baby like,but if you accept them as what works for you and they keep your bed dry,then they are ok to wear.i dont feel like a baby wearing them,its what i have to do to manage the bedwetting.

  7. I continue to keep wetting my bed I am a 22 year old female im not sure how much longer i can take this. I dont know how much longer i can take. Please if anyone has any advice please let me know.

    • i have ben wearing biapers for 22 years now from a car ax .i have no problems with people knowing i have to be diaperd 24/7 no ones ever sead a thing about being able to see that im diaperd i go about life .more people then you think are diaperd so please dont think your alone.i wel chat with anyone about this if you need someone to talt to about bedwetting or weaeing diapers

  9. Hi Scienceblog,
    Neat Post, Scientific name for night time bed wetting is nocturnal enuresis. It is normal for a baby to bed wet since it has not learnt to control its urges. But when a child above 5 years of age bed wets often, it is time for him to take treatment. 15% of children in the age group of 5 and 3% of teenager’s bed wet at night. The treatment taken for this problem is very effective and does not relapse in the future. Your child may be in the habit of wetting his or her bed, but your treatment will help him get rid of this embarrassing habit.
    Keep up the good work

  10. Ola! Scienceblog,
    This might be off topic, however, Bed wetting happens for a variety of reasons from physical to psychological. While, doctors can help to find the cause and recommend a treatment, there is often a period of time when the bed wetting is going on without recourse.
    Wishes

  16. i am 19 and i still wet the bed, it happends every night i wear pull ups because i wet about 3 times a night, i have been to the doctors and they have told me that i have a small bladder, i have told my mom and my girlfriend and they understand that it is not my falt, email me if u like [email protected]

  18. I am 14 almost 15 and I still wet the bed….I am afraid the I will grow up and still have these problems….I lose a lot of sleep at night trying to keep from wetting the bed and I’m always really tired at school the next day…the doctors keep telling me that its stress related but I don’t feel stressed out at all..

    • shania,why dont you try wearing pullups or goodnites? iam 15 and a bedwetter and i wear goodnites and alternate with a cloth diaper and plastic pants every other night.they work for me and they should for you.i dont feel like a baby wearing the diaper and plastic pants.

  19. hi im 19 and i still wet the bed it dont happen every night cuz i try 2 stay up so it wont happen but when i go to sleep i try not to sleep hard cuz that is when it happen i mean im scared to sleedp with my wife u know cuddleing up with her and then she wkes up wet cuz of me i tried the pull up but i cant pay that much and im not wereing the cloth things and the rubber pants breaks me out what can i do to stop so i can sleep

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