A Nephrologist, Dr. Maryam Almustapha, has said bedwetting can be inherited, advising adults experiencing the condition to seek medical care, as it may indicate an underlying health disorder.
Almustapha spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu via phone on Tuesday.
Bedwetting, medically known as nocturnal enuresis, is the accidental release of pee during sleep.
It’s a common condition that affects children, teenagers and adults but becomes a concern if it happens to someone over the age of 7 and occurs at least twice per week for at least three months in a row.
Almustapha noted that there are two main types: primary and secondary bedwetting.
According to her, primary bedwetting occurs in children below the age of five years and is considered normal at that age.
“Secondary bedwetting, however, occurs in adults and is usually caused by a medical disorder.”
According to the National Association for Continence, several factors contribute to an adult experiencing nocturnal enuresis, or adult bedwetting.
The factors include genetics, hormone imbalance, small bladder, overactive bladder muscles, urinary tract infection, medications, stress and other health issues.
Almustapha further explained that the problem arises when the bladder cannot hold accumulated urine during sleep.
“If the bladder accumulates urine, you are supposed to wake up to urinate. But in some people, the bladder cannot hold it, and it just comes out,” she said.
Almustapha advised that lifestyle modification can significantly help manage bedwetting, especially in adults.
She recommended avoiding drinking water or soft drinks late at night, urinating before going to bed and urinating more frequently during the daytime to ensure the bladder is empty.
The physician also suggested the use of a urine alarm device that rings to wake a person up when the bladder is full.
According to a publication by Harvard Health, if both parents wet the bed when they were younger, three out of four of their children will have bedwetting problems.
The statistic originates from a seminal genetic study by pediatrician Dr Harry Bakwin and was published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 1973.
Recently, researchers have pinpointed two genes that are associated with bedwetting; one is located on chromosome 12 and another on chromosome 13.
Adults with nocturnal enuresis who tried all other noninvasive forms of treatment without success may be candidates for surgery.
The surgery can stimulate the bladder, bowels and pelvic floor or remove muscle that surrounds the bladder to improve bladder contractions. (NAN)
