Language disorders as comorbidity in enuretic children: prevalence and impact on treatment

Abstract

PURPOSE Several studies have recorded an association between nocturnal enuresis (NE) and developmental delays. Language disorders are one of the main comorbidities in enuretic children, affecting therapy outcome and prognosis. METHODS The study was carried out within our pediatric outpatient clinic in Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital Foundation of Rome, enrolling a total of 226 enuretic children, of which 21 with a language disorder. Data concerning NE were collected through questionnaire and interview with parents and a bladder diary. The language disorders was secondary investigated. The chi-squared test was used to evaluate the correlation between therapy outcome and language disorders. RESULTS Our sample was composed of 226 enuretic children, with a mean age of 7.67 years. 217 children were subjected to pharmacological treatments, while 9 children, with mild clinical symptoms, did not take any drugs. It was observed that 49% of enuretic children did not respond to therapy or relapsed, while 51% responded in the first cycle. 21/226 (9%) of enuretic children had a language disorder, of which 15 subjected to pharmacological therapy: 12/15 (80%) did not respond to therapy and 3/15 (20%) responded (p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS Language disorders could impact NE therapy response, underlying the influence of comorbidities and the importance of a global assessment in enuretic children.