October 02, 2024
Vitamin Deficiencies Common in Children With Nocturnal Enuresis
Vitamin D, B12 deficiencies found to be common
TUESDAY, Oct. 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Children with primary nocturnal enuresis may have vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency as well as vitamin B12 deficiency, according to a study published online June 10 in Annals of Medicine.
Hoda Atef Abdelsattar Ibrahim, from Cairo University, and colleagues examined the prevalence of vitamin D and vitamin B12 deficiencies in enuretic children. The analysis included 288 children seen at an outpatient clinic for nocturnal enuresis.
The researchers found that vitamin D insufficiency predominated (48.3 percent), while vitamin D deficiency was present in 31.3 percent. Vitamin B12 deficiency was seen in 25 percent of children. There was a stronger inverse correlation between vitamin D and the number of enuresis episodes per day than vitamin B12. A cutoff of 13.7 ng/mL for vitamin D was identified, below which failure to have dry nights was predicted. Protective factors for the absence of dry nights were higher vitamin D levels and behavioral treatment coexistence.
“Vitamin D insufficiency may be the most prevalent vitamin D abnormality in children with primary nocturnal enuresis. Vitamin D insufficiency may be more common in children with severe enuresis than vitamin B12 deficiency,” the authors write. “This study may invite further research to examine the possible use of vitamin D and vitamin B12 as potential adjuvant therapies for children with primary nocturnal enuresis.”