Smartphones and tablets used as ‘babysitters’ can be the cause of unexpected problems in children such as urological disorders, from the loss of urine to an exaggerated frequency of rushes to the bathroom. But also a cause of constipation and, more rarely, difficulty in containing oneself. “I would define it as a new syndrome linked to new habits: until a few years ago in the waiting rooms of pediatricians there was a pit of wild children, today there is a great calm and the little ones are almost always hypnotized by the screen. picture if a few years ago I saw one or two children a month with problems of impaired urinary function, today I see even 4 a week “, explains to time.news Salute Fabio Ferro, urologist surgeon, former head of the Bambino Gesù in Rome.
But what is the connection? “The problem – he clarifies – is linked precisely to the great attention with which the little ones follow what happens on the screen and which leads them to ‘forget’ the important physiological function that allows the elimination of waste. This alters the balance and the children arrive. then to urinate every half hour. And at this point the parents turn to the urologist who has to start a bladder re-education “. From a medical point of view, everything stems from the fact that children postpone defecation. “The pelvic muscle structure that surrounds the rectum, which is contracted to prevent defecation, also embraces the urinary tract and inhibits urination,” explains Ferro.
But if the crate can last even a few days without serious consequences, the bladder “is a reservoir, when it is full it begins to vibrate and therefore you ‘must’ urinate, even if not emptying it completely, several times a day. When children hold back their stools. until they finish the game on the tablet, the bladder is also partially blocked and, in this way, they multiply the frequency of urination. It is an important problem and must be corrected starting with the re-education of the intestine, which is the point of departure of the dysfunction. The goal is to bring the little one back to empty the intestine in the morning. And at least one month of therapy is necessary “, comments Ferro, underlining, however, that relapses are possible” if the same mechanism of smartphone addiction is restarted ” .