Ask an Expert: Sudden wetting

Urinary and Genital Disorders (Children)

Sudden wetting
06/20/2001

Question:

I have a five and a half year old son. About three months ago he had a severe ear infection and right as this occured so has his constant bedwetting. He had never wet the bed since he was three. I have read a lot of things about children that have never been able to not wet the bed, but nothing about children that have two and a half years of never wetting the bed to almost constantly. I was wondering if it may be related to the ear infection that he had when this all started. And if not what may be the cause for the sudden spurt of wetting.

Answer:

Recurrence of bedwetting is not as common as persisting wetness but is not unheard of. In this specific situation it may be prudent to arrange for an ultrasound to make sure the child`s anatomy is normal. It is truly rare for bedwetting to be due to a structural abnormality. It sure seems the recurrence of wetting may be related to the ear infection but it is impossible to prove. More importantly it really doesn`t matter. No one truly knows what causes primary bedwetting let alone wetting that recurs. There are all sorts of theories with regard to why night time wetting occurs but no one knows for sure. The bottom line is that there is very little that can be done to treat bedwetting in this age group. There are medicines that can cover up the problem but they are less likely to work in younger kids and do have the potential for serious side effects. The best way to cure bedwetting is with the use of an alarm system but again in this age group are less likely to work. For 5 year olds, pull-ups are the best short term solution.

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Response by:

Rama Jayanthi, MD
Pediatric Urologist
Section of Pediatric Urology
Nationwide Children's Hospital
The Ohio State University