To the Editor.—Sleep patterns in enuresis have been studied by a number of observers. Ström-Olsen1 found that most adult enuretics were deep sleepers and required large amounts of amphetamine to lighten their sleep. On the other hand, in children, no difference was found in the time necessary for awakening enuretic children and normal controls. Ritvo et al,2 using electroencephalography, found that a sizable percentage of children wet the bed while awake. Deep sleep may be a factor in some enuretic children but, not in a great many. The depth of sleep in no way negates a genetic basis for enuresis.
Stenotic meatuses cannot be a major factor in the etiology of enuresis. Most adults outgrow their enuresis. Do they also outgrow their stenotic meatuses? Difficulty in starting the urinary stream, which one might expect with a stenotic meatus, is not encountered in enuretics.