Sleep of primary enuretic children and controls.
OBJECTIVE
To look for differences between the sleep of enuretic children and controls.


METHODS
In addition to standard polysomnographic features, body movement data and nocturnal micturitions were recorded.


METHODS
The children's homes.


METHODS
Twenty-one children with primary nocturnal enuresis and 6 controls of similar age.


METHODS
None.


RESULTS
Sleep of the enuretic children did not diverge to a large extent from that of the controls. The only significant differences were that the enuretic children spent a slightly longer time in bed and had an increased number of sleep cycles. Although there was a trend for an increased number of short movements in enuretics, this was not statistically significant. Fifteen children experienced enuresis during the recording night. Micturition occurred during the first half of the night for most of the children and was not linked to any specific sleep stage. Children who voided during rapid-eye movemnt (REM) sleep were found to have more REM sleep than the others. Tachycardia was often seen to precede the enuretic event. In some subjects a short EEG arousal was observed before micturition.


CONCLUSIONS
Sleep of enuretic children is polysomnographically normal, but the children exhibit signs of autonomous arousal prior to micturition.
Bader
Gaby
G
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Sahlgren's University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. baderg@mednet.gu.se
Nevéus
Tryggve
T
Kruse
Sonja
S
Sillén
Ulla
U
D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004775:Enuresis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology*