Urinary Tract Infection and Enuresis in Children With Chronic Functional Constipation

There is still controversy regarding the possible role of chronic functional constipation in disorders of the urinary tract, specifically urinary tract infection (UTI) and enuresis. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of (UTI) and enuresis in children with chronic functional constipation. We included 120 children (60.8% girls) with chronic functional constipation based on the Rome III criteria. Detailed history of UTI and enuresis or symptoms pointing to these diagnoses was obtained. Urinalysis, urine culture, and abdominal ultrasonography were performed for all of the participants. The mean age of the patients was 7.4 ± 3.2 years. Seventy-five percent of the patients had constipation for more than 1 year. The most common urinary symptoms were dysuria (16.7%), urinary frequency (12.5%), and dribbling (4.2%). The frequencies of nocturnal and daytime enuresis were 22.5% and 3.3%, respectively. Pyuria was seen in 10 girls (8.3%). Overall, 7 patients (5.8 %) had a positive urine culture, of whom all were girls and 6 had pyuria. Urinary tract ultrasonography was normal in these patients. Urinary symptoms, especially nocturnal enuresis, were found in a significant number of children who had chronic functional constipation, but UTI was not so common in the present study. Therefore, we suggest that nocturnal enuresis be considered in children with chronic functional constipation, but screening for UTI is not recommended in these patients.