Pollakiuria or Benign Idiopathic Urinary Frequency is a tendency of going numerous times to urinate in a day. Pollakiuria in children is common especially in children of 3 to 5 years old, but sometimes teenagers can also suffer from it.
If your child has three to four loo visits in one hour without any specific reason, then there is a possibility that s/he is suffering from pollakiuria. But there can be other reasons behind frequent urination of the child.
So you need to know what can cause children to urinate frequently so that you can distinguish between situations and know when to seek the doctor’s help.
What is Pollakiuria?
Pollakiuria is a condition in which your child assumes that his/her bladder is full and s/he needs to urinate immediately.
The nephrons in our kidneys constantly purify the blood and collect the waste in the bladder in the form of urine. Due to the constant collection of urine, when our bladder is filled fully and has no more space to expand, only then we feel the urge to go to the bathroom.
The shape of the bladder of a small baby is small. Thus, they urinate more. But as they grow, their bladder also grows bigger and becomes capable of holding more liquid in it. Thus if your kid is suddenly going to the bathroom more frequently than before, then there is a reason for concern.
After age 3, your kid will generally need to urinate about 12 times a day. And as their age grows, the number of urinations will decrease as an adult urinates only 4 to 6 times a day.
In pollakiuria, your child will feel s/he wants to go to the bathroom every half an hour which means 24 times a day. But in the worst-case scenario, the child may have to go even 40 times a day.
What are the Causes of Pollakiuria in Children?
Frequent urination in boys or girls can start because of any stress or pressure. This stress can be anything like going to school for the first time, participating in any major event at school, or the arguments of the parents.
Here are some possible mental triggers that can pollakiuria:
- Being bullied at school by seniors or any sort of peer pressure.
- Moving into a new place to stay or going to a new school.
- Having a new member in the family like a sibling.
- Losing a family member or close friend.
- Stress during exam days or before results.
- Parent’s divorcing or any toxicity between the parents.
What are the Symptoms?
Pollakiuria is extremely a mental illness. This is a phase that can be triggered by any stress in them and will get solved within a few weeks normally. So if your kid is frequently urinating and showing the following symptoms, then s/he may suffer from pollakiuria:
- There is no pain while urinating.
- The urine is not dark and smelly or has anything abnormal in it.
- Your child is going to the bathroom more during the day than at night.
- Your kid is not wetting his/her pants.
- S/he is not taking any larger amount of liquids than before.
- The kid has not lost weight recently.
- The child is urinating frequently but has no infection, or rash, or fever, or any other symptom.
What is the Treatment Advised for Pollakiuria in Children?
You can easily solve this habit of the kid yourself. Give them fun activities or games to play, and make them understand that they do not feel scared even if they make some mistakes.
The parents can indulge them in their favorite activities at the time when they tend to go for urination the most. Let them watch a cartoon show or play video games, and inspire them for outdoor games. Involving them in sports will increase their physical endurance and help them to overcome these mental instabilities.
Do not keep track of how many times your kid is going to the bathroom. Even if you do so, do not warn or tell your kid every time s/he goes for urination. This will make them more anxious about their condition.
There is nothing concerning or harmful about pollakiuria. This is just a phase that will pass with time. You just need to tell them that they are not sick and that nothing bad will happen if they hold the frequent urination urge. But do not force them to hold as this may worsen the situation. If the problem is not resolving after this, then you need to consult a doctor. The doctor may then test the urine or blood as there can be any serious reason like diabetes, bladder infection, or nephritic syndrome behind this.
