Nocturnal enuresis in children in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Aim: To determine the prevalence of nocturnal enuresis in children of Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Methods: In all, 506 questionnaires were sent to parents of children aged 6-12 years randomly selected from four primary schools in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The questionnaire was designed to collect information about prevalence and factors associated with nocturnal enuresis.

Results: A total of 415 (82.0%) were correctly completed. In this series, 109 children were identified as nocturnal enuresis in which 50 boys and 56 girls (p > 0.05). Factors associated with nocturnal enuresis were deep sleep, young age and familial history of enuresis (p < 0.05). Only 11% of patients have been consulted by doctors. Twelve children (11.0%) were treated by healers traditional. In the other part, 43 children (39.4%) were frequently punished by their parents. The common self-help strategies were 79 children (72.5%) were submitted to fluid restrictions before going to sleep and 68 (62.4%) were waking the child at night to void.

Conclusion: In Kinshasa, the prevalence of nocturnal enuresis was high to those reported in Asian and Western countries. Nocturnal enuresis remains an important clinical problem in children but only a small percentage of parents seek medical help.