Bed wetting

The crime section of The PUNCH reported the story of a 27-year-old female security guard who allegedly beat her niece to a stupor for bed-wetting on February 28, 2014 in Lagos.

The victim was tortured for several hours before she fell unconscious. The woman reportedly used a spatula to beat the 10-year-old and then inserted Aboniki balm (methyl salicylate ointment) inside her private part and also her eyes.

According to the report, the girl fainted and was rushed to a hospital, but she was rejected. She was later referred to the Military Hospital. It was at the military hospital that a non-governmental organisation, Hands That Care, took over the case and reported it to the police.

The little girl was in critical condition. The police officers investigating the case went there and found the victim with her face and hands swollen as a result of severe beating.

The NGO said it would settle the girl’s hospital bills, but called for the woman’s prosecution.

The suspect, crying profusely, said she only beat her niece on three occasions in order to correct her.

Today’s piece has been packaged to educate the public on the need to be gentle with a bed-wetting child, as the act may be totally outside the control of the affected child.

Bed-wetting is also called enuresis in medical parlance. Most children who wet the bed have at least one parent or close relative who had the same problem as a child.

Approximately 45 per cent of children wet the bed if one parent wet the bed as a child, and 75 per cent wet the bed if both parents were bed-wetters.

Prior to age 13, boys wet the bed twice as often as girls. By the time adolescence rolls around, the numbers equal out. Interestingly, girls are more likely than boys to have other bladder symptoms, such as urgency, frequency, or daytime wetting.

Every year, 15 per cent of children older than five who wet the bed become dry with no intervention. Although children usually follow the same pattern as their family members, this is not always the case.

It is recommended that children start bedwetting programmes if they’re motivated to become dry because there is no way to predict when a child will overcome bed-wetting

Causes

While bed-wetting can be a symptom of an underlying disease, the large majority of children who wet the bed have no underlying disease. In fact, a true medical cause is identified in only about one per cent of children who wet the bed.

 However, this does not mean that the child who wets the bed can control it or is doing it on purpose. Children who wet the bed are not lazy, willful, or disobedient as the society perceives.

Types

There are two types of bed-wetting: primary and secondary. Primary bed-wetting refers to bed-wetting that has been ongoing since early childhood without a break. A child with primary bed-wetting has never been dry at night for any significant length of time.

Secondary bed-wetting is bed-wetting that starts again after the child has been dry at night for a significant period of time (at least six months).

In general, primary bed-wetting probably indicates immaturity of the nervous system. A bed-wetting child does not recognise the sensation of the full bladder during sleep and thus does not awaken during sleep to use the bathroom.

Secondary bed-wetting may be due to urinary tract infection, diabetes, structural or anatomical abnormality, neurological problems, emotional problems, sleep patterns, pinworm infection, constipation, or excessive fluid intake.

Other symptoms could suggest psychological causes or problems with the nervous system or kidneys and should alert the family or health care provider that this may be more than routine bed-wetting.

Wetting during the day, frequency, urgency, or burning on urination, straining, dribbling, or other unusual symptoms with urination, cloudy or pinkish urine, or blood stains on underpants or pyjamas, soiling, being unable to control bowel movements and constipation are also associated with secondary bed-wetting.

Investigations

The child will need a physical exam. Depending on the circumstances, urine tests may be done to check for signs of an infection or diabetes. If the doctor suspects a structural problem with the child’s urinary tract or another health concern, the child may need X-rays or other imaging tests of the kidneys or bladder.

To be continued

source: punchng