Serum Sodium Alterations in Children with Primary Monosymptomatic Nocturnal Enuresis Using Desmopressin

Hyponatremia/water intoxication has been considered a rare but serious complication of desmopressin (DDAVP) for the treatment of primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE).

This study aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors of serum sodium (Na) alterations in children with PMNE treated with oral or intranasal DDAVP.

A total of 201 patients with PMNE were evaluated in 2 groups using intranasal (n = 127) or oral DDAVP (n = 74) for approximately 6 months. Treatment efficacy was defined as a more than 50% decrease in wet nights after 1 month of treatment. Serum Na was measured before, during, and after treatment in all patients. Predisposing factors of serum Na disturbance were evaluated concomitantly.

The mean age of patients was 8.8 ± 2.6 (5 - 17.5) years, and males outnumbered females (M/F = 1.68). Treatment efficacy was 100% in 93 (46.2%), and > 90% in 157 (78.1%) cases. Oral DDAVP had significantly more therapeutic effects than intranasal treatment (P = 0.024). However, serum Na had no significant difference between the 2 groups (P = 0.52). Hyponatremia occurred in 7 (3.5%) patients (3 in oral treatment and 4 in intranasal treatment; P = 0.73) with no significant correlation to age, gender, body weight, frequency of enuresis, and initial serum Na. However, decreased serum Na > 5 mEq/L was a significant risk factor for the prediction of hyponatremia in our patients (P < 0.001).

Oral DDAVP had more therapeutic effects than intranasal treatment for the treatment of PMNE. Serum Na had no significant alteration in both oral and intranasal treatments, and hyponatremia was a rare complication of DDAVP, which occurred significantly in children with a > 5-mEq/L decrease of initial serum Na concentration. As a suggestion, monitoring serum Na is not an essential follow-up in asymptomatic patients in DDAVP treatment.