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Nocturnal enuresis in postmenopausal women may indicate OSA

Certain risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea appeared associated with nocturnal enuresis in postmenopausal women, according to results of a cross-sectional study.

“We found that [obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)] risk factors are associated with nocturnal enuresis,” Patrick Koo, MD, a clinical assistant professor in the department of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Brown University, told Healio.com/Pulmonology. “Of note, postmenopausal women with 2-3 OSA risk factors have 3-4 times increased odds of having nocturnal enuresis.”

Patrick Koo

Koo and colleagues analyzed data of women aged 50 to 79 years who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study and clinical trials to determine if OSA risk factors had an association with nocturnal enuresis.

The analysis included 161,808 women who completed questionnaires about the loss of bladder control.

A small percentage (1.7%) of postmenopausal women reported that they leaked urine while sleeping, and more than 80% of these women reported the occurrence to be at least more than once a month or more often.

A BMI greater than 30 kg/m² (aOR = 2.29; 95% CI, 2-2.62), snoring three or more times per week (aOR = 2.01; 95% CI, 1.74-2.32) and sleep fragmentation three or more times per week (aOR = 2.44; 95% CI, 2.14-2.79) — risk factors for OSA — increased the risk for nocturnal enuresis in the study cohort.

Koo told Healio.com/Pulmonology that physicians should monitor OSA risk factors in patients with nocturnal enuresis.

“Despite the limitations of a cross-sectional design, this study suggests that a history of nighttime urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women places them at increased risk of OSA,” he said. “Therefore, primary care providers should consider assessing for OSA risk factors in at-risk postmenopausal women with nocturnal enuresis. Most importantly, postmenopausal women with nocturnal enuresis should report it to their physician.” – by Ryan McDonald

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.