The Effect of Imipramine and Desmopressin for the Treatment of Enuresis in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatric diseases and nocturnal enuresis is also a common involuntary disorder, whose symptoms can appear more than 2-3 times per month even after the age of 5. The incidence of nocturnal enuresis is believed to be increasing in ADHD patients. This study investigates the effectiveness of desmopressin and imipramine in the treatment of nocturnal enuresis as well as on ADHD. METHODS: ADHD children of over five years of age displaying nocturnal enuresis were divided into three groups : Group 1, the placebo group; Group 2, the imipramine group; and Group 3, the desmopressin group. They were given their respective treatment agents for 12 weeks and were asked to record their daily urination routine. Their progress was observed two and four weeks after treatment and psychiatric evaluation was performed two weeks after treatment. RESULTS: One week after the start of treatment, the frequency of enuresis in group 3 dropped markedly, showing a much faster treatment response than group 2. Although group 1 showed no significant change in the ADHD index after treatment, groups 2 and 3 showed better ADHD conditions along with enuresis. CONCLUSION: The ADHD scale improved in the two groups whose nocturnal enuresis was successfully treated with imipramine and desmopressin in our study. This may provide evidence for the possibility of one common factor in the cause of ADHD and nocturnal enuresis. More studies on this possibility are required.