A child who has an overactive bladder often suffers from incontinence. Incontinence often subsides on its own, suggesting that it may simply be a part of growing up for some children. Incontinence often presents itself in children who have overactive bladders in the daytime as well as the evening. Your child's urge to urinate when she has an overactive bladder may be hard to suppress.
Overactive Bladder
An overactive bladder occurs because the bladder muscles involuntarily contract, which makes it difficult for your child to control herself from urinating. It also may occur more frequently children with diabetes or with poor kidney function.
After a child turns 5 years old, incontinence becomes less common. According to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, about 10 percent of children who are 5 years old have overactive bladders. This number drops to about 5 percent of 10-year-olds. By the time a child reaches adulthood, incontinence affects only about 1 percent of people. Boys are twice as likely to have overactive bladders as girls are.
Types
Enuresis is another name for an overactive bladder. Primary enuresis is classified as wetting in a child who has never avoided wetting himself for more than six months. Secondary enuresis begins when a child wets himself after more than six months of being dry. Nocturnal enuresis occurs during the evening and pre-dawn hours. Diurnal enuresis involves a child wetting himself while awake.
Nighttime Incontinence
According to the NIDDKD,, experts do not fully understand what causes nighttime incontinence. Most children who wet the bed are normal physically and emotionally. There may be a mixture of issues that cause a child to have an overactive bladder in the evening, including overproduction of urine at night, anxiety and even a family history of bedwetting.
Solutions
Urinary incontinence often fades naturally. Over time, your child's bladder capacity increases. She may more readily heed body alarms, recognizing when it is time to go to the bathroom in the daytime or in the evening.
Doctors recommend that children who have overactive bladders schedule regular trips to the bathroom to keep the bladder from getting too full. Increased fiber intake can help; constipation sometimes lead to an overacte
Medications
Drugs to increase ADH levels can decrease the amount of urine that forms in the body. Imipramine is also used to decrease bedwetting. According to NIDDK, these medications can help more than two-thirds of children reduce bladder activity; relapse sometimes occurs after your child stops using the medication. Side effects associated with medications used to treat overactive bladders include dry mouth and eyes.
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