Child-specific daytime urinary frequency (EDUF) is a common urinary problem in children, often referred to as pseudo-urinary tract infection or daytime frequency-urgency syndrome. The characteristic of this condition is daytime urinary frequency, causing significant psychological pressure on parents. Patients are usually children with normal or over three years of bladder control during the day; they experience urinary frequency and urgency when awake during the day, but symptoms disappear during sleep at night, with no bedwetting. In pediatric outpatient clinics, such cases are common, and even children may exhibit related symptoms during a short period of diagnosis and treatment.
There are various factors that can trigger EDUF, including frequent changing of diapers or frequent reminders to urinate during infancy, kindergarten requirements for scheduled toilet visits, school-age children experiencing tension due to academic pressure, reprimands for wetting pants, fear of ridicule from peers, restrictions on using toilets during class, and continuous urging to urinate due to excessive parental concerns.
Studies have shown that children with EDUF urinate 7 to 15 times per hour during peak urinary frequency periods, averaging 9.5 times; each time the volume is not much, and it returns to normal at night. These children do not have urinary tract infections, nighttime enuresis, or related anatomical and neurological abnormalities; their daily urine output is normal.
The specific causes of EDUF are not yet clear. Normal bladder control is a skill that children gradually learn with age and urination training, typically developing after the age of three. Children begin to control their bladders at this stage, but improper training methods or social psychological pressures such as fright, excessive tension, and parental reprimands can disrupt the brain’s control of urination, leading to symptoms. Preschool children are more susceptible to the influence of such social and psychological factors due to the particularities of their developing urinary control systems, resulting in bladder dysfunction.
The treatment of EDUF mainly relies on emotional support and behavioral correction, delivering positive messages to the patients and their families to alleviate psychological burdens. Drug treatment is not recommended due to its significant side effects. The primary treatment involves correcting improper urination habits and bladder training, which has proven effective in improving children’s bladder overactivity. Combining guidance, education, and psychological suggestion methods enhances the effectiveness of treatment.
