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Daytime Incontinence in Children
Daytime incontinence that is not
associated with urinary infection or
anatomic abnormalities is less
common than nighttime incontinence
and tends to disappear much earlier
than the nighttime versions. One
possible cause of daytime
incontinence is an overactive
bladder. Many children with daytime
incontinence have abnormal
elimination habits, the most common
being infrequent voiding and
constipation.
An Overactive Bladder
Muscles surrounding the urethra (the
tube that takes urine away from the
bladder) have the job of keeping the
passage closed, preventing urine
from passing out of the body. If the
bladder contracts strongly and
without warning, the muscles
surrounding the urethra may not be
able to keep urine from passing.
This often happens as a consequence
of urinary tract infection and is
more common in girls.
Infrequent Voiding
Infrequent voiding refers to a
child's voluntarily holding urine
for prolonged intervals. For
example, a child may not want to use
the toilets at school or may not
want to interrupt enjoyable
activities, so he or she ignores the
body's signal of a full bladder. In
these cases, the bladder can
overfill and leak urine.
Additionally, these children often
develop urinary tract infections (UTIs),
leading to an irritable or
overactive bladder.
Other Causes
Some of the same factors that
contribute to nighttime incontinence
may act together with infrequent
voiding to produce daytime
incontinence. These factors include
small bladder capacity
structural problems
anxiety-causing events
pressure from a hard bowel movement
(constipation)
drinks or foods that contain
caffeine, which increases urine
output and may also cause spasms of
the bladder muscle, or other
ingredients to which the child may
have an allergic reaction, such as
chocolate or artificial coloring
Sometimes overly strenuous toilet
training may make the child unable
to relax the sphincter and the
pelvic floor to completely empty the
bladder. Retaining urine (incomplete
emptying) sets the stage for urinary
tract infections.
Content Courtesy :
kidney.niddk.nih.gov
Note : Information herein is
provided for informational purposes
only and is not a substitute for
professional medical advice. You
should not use this information for
diagnosing or treating a medical or
health condition. If you have or
suspect you have a medical problem,
promptly contact your professional
healthcare provider. Please consult
your healthcare provider before
beginning any course of
supplementation or treatment.
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