What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Adult Bed-Wetters?

While considered an issue associated primarily with children, bed-wetting can affect adults as well. Adult bed-wetting is usually a sign of an underlying physical or mental health condition, which requires treatment for the core problem before the bed-wetting can be properly addressed. In some instances, adults may also suffer from incontinence during daytime hours as well, depending on the type of condition.

Identification

• Adult bed-wetting is characterized by an inability to contain the urge to urinate while sleeping. According to the National Association for Continence (NAFC), 2 percent of adults struggle with this issue. While "bed-wetting" is the more commonly used term, the official name of this disorder is nocturnal enuresis. It can be broken up into two subcategories: persistent primary nocturnal enuresis, which starts in childhood and does not resolve itself by the time the patient has entered adulthood and adult onset secondary enuresis, which is bed-wetting that starts in adulthood.

Genetic Causes

• Causes of adult bed-wetting include heredity links, as those who have parents with bed-wetting issues are more likely to suffer from bed-wetting as well, as a result of an abnormality of ADH, or antidiuretic hormone, which allows the kidneys to produce less urine during the night. In adult bed-wetters, this hormone may not send the proper signals to the brain, resulting in the same amount of urine produced during the nighttime hours as during the day. According to the NAFC, a person with two bed-wetting parents has a 77 percent chance of also having adult bed-wetting issues, and a person with one parent with bed-wetting issues has a 40 percent chance of being afflicted with the condition.

Underlying Illness

• The Mayo Clinic cites numerous potential underlying illnesses that can cause adult bed-wetting, including type 2 diabetes (which is associated with the imbalance of ADH), sleep apnea, prostate and bladder cancer, urinary tract infection and neurological disorders. Additional potential causes include emotional/anxiety disorders and certain medications, particularly sleep aids that help you to sleep more deeply than you are used to. To resolve the bed-wetting, the underlying cause should be addressed to help your body begin to function normally again.

Temporary Solutions

• A permanent solution to adult bed-wetting is to resolve the underlying health condition causing this action. However, in the interim, there are several steps you can take --- or help a loved one to take --- to refrain from wetting the bed. These include the use of adult disposable briefs, pads for underwear or larger pads for the bed. You might also set an alarm to wake up during the night to use the bathroom to minimize the chances of wetting the bed.

Medicinal Treatments

• Medicinal options to treat adult bed-wetting include Desmopressin, which mimics the ADH hormone, and Imipramine, which is an anti-depressant that can be used to decrease nighttime bed-wetting (however, the NAFC cautions that because of the side effects associated with this medicine, it should be an option of last resort). Additional medicines used to treat this problem include Darifenacin, which treats overactive bladder; Oxybutynin, which relaxes muscles in the bladder; and Trospium Chloride, which reduces an unstable bladder.