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Nocturnal enuresis: a suggestive endophenotype marker for a subgroup of inattentive attention-deficit/hyperactivity

Josephine Elia1, Toshinobu Takeda, Rachel Deberardinis

  • 1Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6209, USA. elia@email.chop.edu

The Journal of Pediatrics
|May 19, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and enuresis often co-occur. This study found that children with ADHD and enuresis may have arousal deficits, suggesting enuresis could identify inattentive ADHD subtypes.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Pediatric sleep medicine
  • Genetics of childhood disorders

Background:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nocturnal enuresis frequently co-occur, but the underlying reasons remain unclear.
  • Investigating shared etiologies may reveal important clinical insights for both conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the relationship between ADHD and enuresis in children.
  • To identify potential shared underlying factors, such as arousal deficits.
  • To determine if enuresis can serve as a marker for specific ADHD phenotypes.

Main Methods:

  • Compared diagnostic and demographic data in 344 children (6-12 years) with and without enuresis within an ADHD genetic study.
  • Investigated sleep variables in 44 enuretic children and matched controls using the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire.
  • Examined associations between enuresis and genetic regions linked to enuresis.

Main Results:

  • Nocturnal enuresis prevalence was 16.9% in the ADHD cohort.
  • Enuretic children showed a higher likelihood of inattentive symptoms.
  • Children with enuresis had significantly decreased night wakings and self-awakening ability.
  • No significant genetic linkage was found with previously reported enuresis regions.

Conclusions:

  • Arousal deficits may contribute to both enuresis and the inattentive subtype of ADHD.
  • Nocturnal enuresis may serve as a clinical indicator for a specific subgroup within ADHD, particularly for genetic studies.
Abstract

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