Screen Time Has Effect on Presentation, Treatment of Nocturnal Enuresis

THURSDAY, March 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Screen time has an effect on the presentation and treatment of primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE), according to a study published online Feb. 17 in BMC Urology.

Arif Demirbas, D.O., and Hacer Gizem Gercek, from the Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University in Turkey, examined the association between screen time and the severity of PMNE and treatment success among 71 patients aged 6 to 13 years. The patients were classified according to screen time with group 1 >120 minutes/day and group 2 <120 minutes/day (47 and 24 patients, respectively). Forty-four patients completed the second stage of the study: 21 in group 3, who received 120 mcg desmopressin melt (DeM) and were allowed <60 minutes screen time, and 23 in group 4, who received 120 mcg DeM alone.

The researchers observed a significant association between screen time and PMNE severity, with severe symptoms in 42.6 and 16.7 percent in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Full response to treatment occurred in 70 and 31 percent of patients in groups 3 and 4, respectively. Failure occurred in 5 and 30 percent of patients in groups 3 and 4, respectively, and recurrence occurred in 7 versus 60 percent, respectively.

"Bringing screen time to a normal range, which should be controlled in childhood, can be considered to contribute to the treatment of PMNE," the authors write. "This method which can be easily applied and is beneficial shows a positive effect on response to treatment and recurrence."

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