To explore associations between weight and type/frequency of urinary incontinence (UI) in children presenting to a tertiary hospital incontinence clinic.
We retrospectively reviewed medical records of children who first attended the incontinence clinic at The Children's Hospital at Westmead between January 2004 and December 2014. A random sample of 1000 children was selected from 2022 patient records, and data were collected on weight, height, age, gender, UI parameters, bowel habits and medical history. Associations between predictors (weight categories, gender, snoring, constipation, faecal incontinence) and outcomes (daytime urinary incontinence (DUI) and nocturnal enuresis (NE)) were examined using χ2 tests and logistic regression analysis.
A total of 862 children were included in the study; 54% were male, and 28% were overweight/obese. No evidence of difference was found between the underweight/normal and overweight/obese weight children with NE (34 vs. 39%), DUI (7 vs. 9%) or combined NE and DUI (58 vs. 52.1%), P = 0.23. The frequency of NE (83 vs. 82%, P = 0.56) and DUI (52 vs. 58%, P = 0.20) was similar between the weight groups.
In a large cohort of children presenting to a tertiary incontinence clinic, weight was not associated with the type or frequency of UI.
Journal of paediatrics and child health. 2018 Oct 16 [Epub ahead of print]
Krista Monkhouse, Patrina Hy Caldwell, Elizabeth H Barnes
Department of Paediatrics, John Hunter Childrens Hospital, New South Wales, Australia., Centre for Kidney Research, Children's Hospital at Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.