Serum copeptin, urinary AQP2 lower in children with nocturnal enuresis

Serum copeptin and urinary aquaporin-2 (AQP2) levels are significantly lower in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE), according to a study published in the International Journal of Urology.

Basem A. Fathi, M.D., from Al Zahraa University Hospital in Cairo, Egypt, and colleagues examined the utility of serum copeptin and urinary AQP2 levels for diagnosing PMNE. The study included 58 children with an average age of 9.7 years with PMNE and 29 control children without nocturnal enuresis with an average age of 10.2 years.

The researchers found that compared with the control group, serum levels of copeptin, potassium, urinary AQP2, and urine creatinine levels were significantly lower in the PMNE group. Between the groups, there were no significant differences observed in body mass index, urine-specific gravity, serum sodium, serum creatinine, or the estimated glomerular filtration rate.

"In this study, serum levels of copeptin (blood) and AQP2 (urine) were significantly lower in enuretic patients compared to healthy controls," the authors write. "Further, the measurement of urinary AQP2 levels is more practical than serum copeptin levels due to lower invasiveness."