Prevalence of Nocturnal Enuresis among Schoolchildren in Sana’a City, Yemen

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence, frequency and time of nocturnal enuresis (NE) among primary schoolchildren in Sana’a city, Yemen. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study was conducted among 2689 schoolchildren in the primary schools of four randomly selected districts in Sana’a city in the period from September 2012 to December 2013. Data about sociodemographic characteristics, frequency, time, psycho-social effects and the factors possibly associated with NE among children were collected using a pre-designed questionnaire and analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Results: The overall prevalence of NE was 11.2%, which was significantly higher among males than females (13.0% vs. 10.0%, respectively; P = 0.044) and decreased significantly with increasing age (P <0.001). More than half of children (55.3%) in Sana’a city had the habits of drinking excess fluids and tea at night and/or deep sleeping. Of physical and health disorders, difficulty in breathing and urinary tract infections were the two most frequent conditions among children with NE, being observed among 29.6% and 23.9% of cases, respectively. However, urogenital anomalies and mental retardation were the least frequent conditions in children with NE, being observed among 5.8% and 1.3% of cases, respectively. On the other hand, marital problems (24.8%) and arrival of a new baby (17.9%) were the most frequently observed social conditions among children with NE, while death in the family (8.5%) and parental separation (6.0%) were the least frequently observed conditions. Conclusions: NE is prevalent among 11.2% of schoolchildren in Sana’a city with a significantly higher, though slight, rate among males. This rate is lower than the rates reported from Aden and Mukalla cities in the country and from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. However, it is higher than those reported from Iran and Malaysia. About a third of children experience nightly NE, whereas the lowest proportion of children experience NE twice a month. The habits of drinking excess fluid and tea at night and/or deep sleeping, the disorders of difficulty in breathing and urinary tract infections and the social conditions of marital problems and arrival of a new baby are the most frequent observations among children with NE in Sana’a city.