Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and enuresis in children and adolescents

The incidences of comorbid disorders and the status of neuropsychological executive functions were evaluated in two groups of patients aged 5-14 years: patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in combination with enuresis (53 patients) and ADHD without enuresis (71 patients). Most cases of enuresis among patients of group 1 (50 of 53) had primary nocturnal enuresis. This group showed a significant increase in the total number of cases of comorbidity with such disorders as oppositional-defiant behavioral disorder, anxiety disorders, ticks, and encopresis, seen in 77.7% of cases as compared with 60.6% in group 2. The presence of enuresis in patients with ADHD was associated with a significant increase in the incidence of anxiety disorders (54.7% as compared with 39.4%). In addition, at age 5-9 years, patients with ADHD with enuresis had a tendency to a higher frequency of oppositional-defiant behavioral disorder and encopresis; those aged 10-14 years showed an increase in the proportion with obsessive-compulsive disorder and tics as compared with patients with ADHD without enuresis. Assessment of measures of executive functions using the Wisconsin card sorting test revealed no differences between patients of the two groups. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.