The main outcome for our study was to
define the prevalence of nocturnal enuresis and assess its association
with behavioral disorders, school performance and sleep disorders. BEARS
is an acronym and incorporates five basic sleep domains: Bedtime
problems, including difficulty going to bed and falling asleep;
Excessive daytime sleepiness, which includes behaviors typically
associated with daytime somnolence in children; Awakenings during the
night; Regularity of sleep/wake cycles (bedtime, wake time) and average
sleep duration; and Snoring [1]. These represent the most common sleep
disorders in children. We used the BEARS pediatric sleep questionnaire.
Though one of its domain is snoring, which is a sleep-related
breathing-disorder, it does not describe other sleep-related breathing
disorders as would the Pediatric Sleep-related breathing-disordered
(SRBD). scale. It is however a screening tool which can be used in a
busy outpatient department to identify persons who may require further
assessment. It suffices in a resource-poor country like ours where
polysomnography is not readily available. Moreover, SRBD scale was not
readily available, and has not been validated in Nigeria. We however
agree that it is important as children having nocturnal enuresis along
with obstructive sleep apnea may require different therapeutic
interventions.
References
1. Mohammadi M, Amintehran E, Ghaleh-bandi M, Reza AM, Shervan S,
Babak G. Reliability and validity of Persian version of "BEARS"
pediatric sleep questionnaire. Indian J Sleep Med. 2008;3:14-9.