[Enuresis and pediatric urinary incontinence--epidemiology, diagnosis and therapy today]

To describe epidemiology, diagnosis and therapy of enuresis and urinary incontinence in children we have to work with exact definitions. Enuresis is defined as a normal nearly complete emptying of the bladder at a wrong locality at a wrong time at least twice a month after the 5th year of life. Enuresis is regarded as delayed development of bladder function. From enuresis we have to differentiate urinary incontinence in children, which is any kind of loss of urine without normal emptying the bladder. Wetting in those cases is a symptom of a disease (structural, neurogenic, psychogenic or functional). A detailed anamnesis is the most important diagnostic tool in enuresis whereas in the case of urinary incontinence a lot of diagnostics from non-invasive to invasive have to be performed. Enuresis can be treated with alarm or you can apply Desmopressin (DDAVP). Therapy of urinary incontinence in children depends on the disease causing the symptom of wetting.