The daytime urinary frequency syndrome of childhood.

We reviewed retrospectively 43 completely toilet trained children who suddenly developed isolated daytime urinary frequency. Patient age ranged from 2 to 12 years. The condition lasted 2 days to 16 months and resolved spontaneously in all patients. The recurrence rate was 3 per cent unless nocturnal symptoms of nocturia or enuresis coexisted, whereupon it increased to 40 per cent. Anticholinergic medication characteristically produced no improvement in symptoms. Noninvasive investigation included a history and physical examination, urinalysis and renal ultrasonography, and appeared to be sufficient for diagnosis. The etiology is unknown but it may be predominantly behavioral. The daytime urinary frequency syndrome of childhood appears to be a benign self-limited condition that does not require extensive urological evaluation.