Abstract

Objective: In this study, the prevalence of enuresis nocturna (EN) was investigated among primary school children living in Diyarbakır 

Material and methods: Five primary schools in the center of Diyarbakir and a village primary school were selected randomly. Four thousand five hundred self-administered questionnaires were distributed to parents; 4300 were returned, and 4203 of these questionnaires were included in this study. 

Results: Of the children participating in the study, 52.2% were boys and 47.8% were girls. The mean age of the children was 8.66±1.61 (6-15) years, and the mean number of siblings was 4.03±2.06 (0-13). The prevalence of nocturnal enuresis was determined to be 25.9% (1087) among the 4203 children, and it was more common in boys than in girls (27.8% and 23.7%, respectively). The rate of a positive family history in the nocturnal enuresis group was 64.8%, and the rate was 35.2% for non-enuretic children. While the average number of siblings in the nocturnal enuresis group was 4.49±2.65, this number was 3.87±2.57 in the non-enuretic group. The family financial situation of enuretic children was worse than for non-enuretic children. Of the children with enuresis, 92.3% had urinary incontinence only at night, while 8.7% had urinary incontinence both day and night. The number of bed wetting incidents per week was 4.1±2.2. Eighty point five percent of the families believed that the situation resolved without any treatment. 

Conclusion: Family history, a low socio-economic level and an increased number of children were factors that increased the frequency of enuresis nocturna in our region.