| Summary: | A normal development of lower urinary tract function control evolves from
involuntary bladder empting (incontinence) during infancy to daytime urinary
continence, and finally a successful day and night continence that is
generally achieved by the 5th to 7th year of age. This gradual process
primarily depends on the progressive maturation of the neural control of the
lower urinary tract, but it is also influenced by behavioral training that
evolves through social support. Functional voiding disorders (bladder
dysfunction) are common problems during childhood. They are present in 5-15 %
of general pediatric population, and in one-fifth of school-age children or
in over one-third of patients of the pediatric urologist or nephrologist.
More than half of children with bladder dysfunction have vesicoureteral
reflux, and more than two-thirds have recurrent urinary tract infections.
There is also a frequent association of bladder dysfunction with constipation
and encopresis (dysfunctional elimination syndrome). Bladder dysfunction may
cause a permanent damage to the upper urinary tract and kidneys. In addition,
urinary incontinence, as the most common manifestation of bladder dysfunction
can be the cause of major stress in schoolage children and have a negative
effect on the child’s feeling of self-esteem. Thus, a timely detection and
treatment of this group of disorders in children is highly significant.
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