The Effectiveness of Imipramine and Desmopressin in the Treatment of Enuresis

Ahn, Seung Yong; Kim, Kyung Do

Abstract

Nocturnal enuresis is by any standard the most benign voiding dysfunction in children, with a spontaneous cure rate of up to 15% per year. On the other hand it is one of the most sociopsychologically disturbing diseases in children because of its association with taboos and rites, and for families with bedwetters it is also a significant economic burden. Many investigators have reported upon the effectiveness of drugs in alleviating nocturnal enuresis in children and adults. We evaluated the results of drug therapy in 60 children with nocturnal enuresis: 42 boys and 18 girls. mean age 8.7 years(range 5-15). All children were evaluated after treatment with imipramine, and the response rate of imipramine was 76.7%. For the remaining 14 non-responders, desmopressin was given intranasally at bedtime. And the response rate of desmopressin was 64.3%. So, the overall response rate of imipramine and desmopressin was 9l.7%. No serious side effects were observed. These data show that the combined therapy with imipramine and desmopressin is very effective in treating enuresis.