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Night-time bed-wetting in some children is likely to be caused by delayed neurological development, according to a new study.

Researchers at Leeds General Infirmary suggest anomalies in nerve development before and after birth could hamper the body's ability to reduce the production of urine overnight and wake when the bladder becomes full.

The team looked at 34 children aged between seven and 13 who all wet the bed at least four times a week.

The children were patients at a specialist bed-wetting clinic and had been treated with a synthetic version of the hormone vasopressin.

This hormone is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and reduces urine production.

The children took a drawing test which involved reproducing an image from memory which is designed to assess planning and organisational skills, the ability to solve problems and perception, motor and memory functions.

None of the children studied had any known neurological or urinary problems and none had special educational needs.

The study, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, found children who did not respond to the synthetic version of vasopressin made significantly more errors during the test than those who did respond.

The researchers, led by Dr Philip Holland, of the Department of Paediatrics at Leeds General Infirmary, found that children's performance in the test enabled doctors to predict more accurately how the youngster would respond to treatment.

The authors suggest that as yet unspecified factors before and after birth at a crucial period of nerve development could affect the appropriate growth of nerves in the mid-brain and hypothalamus, which are regulating urine production at night.

Story filed: 00:25 Thursday 22nd August 2002

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