The relationship between children with voiding problems and their parents.

PURPOSE

We determined whether parents of children with overactive bladder and dysfunctional voiding had had similar symptoms in childhood.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A case-control study was done in parents with and without children with overactive bladder or dysfunctional voiding. All were recruited from an outpatient clinic. Diagnoses in children were made according to the International Children's Continence Society standardization report. Childhood symptoms in parents were assessed by a 19-item questionnaire and current urogenital symptoms were assessed by the Urogenital Distress Inventory. Comparisons between groups were made with categorical and interval statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 173 cases and 98 controls were entered in the study. Statistically significantly more mothers of children with overactive bladder or dysfunctional voiding reported having had similar symptoms in childhood than mothers of children without lower urinary tract symptoms. Overactive bladder symptoms of childhood persisted into adulthood. No association between childhood dysfunctional voiding symptoms and adult emptying disorders was noted. Fathers of children with overactive bladder reported to have stopped bed-wetting at a significantly later age than control fathers.

CONCLUSIONS

Results reveal an association between overactive bladder symptoms in children and their parents. To a lesser extent this finding also holds true for dysfunctional voiding symptoms.