The Facts

• Overflow incontinence is one of four major classifications of incontinence. It happens when a child's bladder does not empty properly. It overfills and urine spills out of it, causing a sudden leakage of a small amount of urine. It can happen during the daytime or at night while the child is sleeping. The treatment and prognosis of overflow incontinence in children depends on its cause, which can be physical or behavioral.
  
  

Physical Causes

• Physical causes of overflow incontinence in children include overproduction of urine at night. The body releases a hormone that slows urine production during sleep. If a child's body does not produce enough of it, her bladder could overfill and she could wet the bed. If the growth of her bladder does not keep pace with the rest of her body, then it could be too small to handle the amount of urine produced during the day, causing incontinence. Other physical causes include a blockage in the bladder or urethra, or nerve damage that interferes with bladder control.
  
  

Behavioral Causes

• Overflow incontinence in children can be triggered by behavior, such as infrequent voiding. If a child is reluctant to use the restroom while at school, then his bladder could overfill and he will leak urine. The same holds true if he is avoiding using the restroom so he does not have to stop playing a video game or watching a movie. If this happens, the muscles that control bladder release can be compromised.
  
  

Treatment

• Treatment for overflow incontinence depends on the problem's cause. For a child who produces too little of the urine-production suppression hormone, a synthetic version is available. A bladder that is too small can be given time to grow. If that doesn't work, a surgeon can perform a procedure to augment the existing bladder and make it the proper size. Surgery is also a treatment option for a blockage in the urinary system. If the cause is behavioral, then therapy that includes scheduled trips to the restroom and fluid restriction can help.
  
  

Considerations

• Most children grow out of the problems that are causing overflow incontinence. Given time, a child's body will produce needed hormones or her bladder will catch up with the rest of her body's growth. The problem should not be ignored, though. Trouble with incontinence can lead to escalating health issues including urinary tract infections, which bring with them the risk of bladder and kidney infection.