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Excessive Urination in Children
The bladder, an organ located near the bottom of the abdomen, is responsible for urination in both children and adults. When your bladder works properly, two sets of muscles allow you to control the retention and release of urine. Children who urinate excessively often have a health-related problem that prevents them from controlling their bladder and its functions.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Significance
Excessive urination means either urinating an abnormally frequent number of times or passing an abnormally large volume of urine during urination. The average adult urinates approximately five times each day, producing about 3 cups to 2 quarts of urine overall, according to the Merck Manuals. Children and infants generally urinate less; therefore, it's not uncommon for babies to produce only 1 cup of urine everyday.
Excessive Frequency
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Drinking more fluids can increase the volume and/or frequency of urination, and drinking less fluids can decrease the volume and/or frequency of urination. Both are normal occurrences. Your child has excessively frequent urination when he begins to urinate more often yet passes the same amount of urine that he usually does. Common causes of overly frequent urination in children include blockages in the urinary tract, pollakiuria, voiding dysfunction and a urinary tract infection, or UTI.
- Drinking more fluids can increase the volume and/or frequency of urination, and drinking less fluids can decrease the volume and/or frequency of urination.
- Your child has excessively frequent urination when he begins to urinate more often yet passes the same amount of urine that he usually does.
Possible Causes
Urinary tract blockages, such as kidney stones or tumors, reduce the volume of urine that the bladder can hold, which makes more frequent urination necessary. Most common in children 3 to 8 years old, pollakiuria causes children to urinate up to 30 times daily, although each bathroom trip typically produces only a tiny amount of urine. Children with voiding dysfunction become unable to pass all of the urine in their bladder after they develop a habit of holding their urine for a long time instead of urinating when they need to. Reasons children avoid going to the bathroom include wanting to continue something they enjoy doing, such as playing, or not wanting to use a public bathroom. Unfortunately, voiding dysfunction contributes to UTIs, along with other bad bathroom habits, such as wiping incorrectly.
- Urinary tract blockages, such as kidney stones or tumors, reduce the volume of urine that the bladder can hold, which makes more frequent urination necessary.
Excessive Volume
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Common causes of an excessive volume of urine in children include diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, inadequate nighttime levels of antidiuretic hormone and substances that act as a diuretic. Although diabetes mellitus is a fairly widespread condition characterized by too much blood sugar, diabetes insipidus is a rare medical problem related to insufficient production or improper processing of the antidiuretic hormone called vasopressin. Children can also urinate excessively at night if their body produces too litle antidiuretic hormone, or ADH, which normally reduces the volume of urine produced during sleeping. Using diuretics, such as caffeine or diuretic drugs, cause the body to produce large volumes of urine, as well.
- Common causes of an excessive volume of urine in children include diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, inadequate nighttime levels of antidiuretic hormone and substances that act as a diuretic.
Considerations
If your child begins to urinate excessively, you should take her to a qualified health care professional capable of diagnosing the cause of the problem. Some conditions, including diabetes and UTIs, may require treatment in the form of medications, such as insulin or antibiotics. Other conditions, such as voiding dysfunction, often go away after you teach your child to modify her behavior. A third class of conditions typically disappear without intervention, such as pollakiuria, which frequently clears up with no treatment in about 12 weeks.
- If your child begins to urinate excessively, you should take her to a qualified health care professional capable of diagnosing the cause of the problem.
- Other conditions, such as voiding dysfunction, often go away after you teach your child to modify her behavior.
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References
- KidsHealth: Kidney Diseases in Childhood
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The urinary tract & how it works. Updated January 2014.
- Urology Care Foundation. What is a urinary tract infection (UTI) in adults? Updated April 2019.
- University of Nebraska Medical Center. Mind over bladder: to hold or not to hold. June 05, 2014.
- Lohsiriwat S, Hirunsai M, Chaiyaprasithi B. Effect of caffeine on bladder function in patients with overactive bladder symptoms. Urol Ann. 2011;3(1):14-8. doi:10.4103/0974-7796.75862
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Kegel exercises. Updated April 2014.
- Hanno PM, Burks DA, Clemens JQ, et al. Interstitial Cystitis Guidelines Panel of the American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. AUA guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. J Urol. 2011 Jun;185:2162-2170.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). "The Urinary Tract & How It Works.” National Institutes of Health. Jan 2014.
Writer Bio
Nathania Maddox began editing and writing professionally in 2001. She has contributed articles to several online publications, covering topics ranging from health to law. Maddox holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in linguistics.