The Relationship Between Eating Habits and Pollakiuria in Pediatrics

Background: Pollakiuria is a lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) characterized by frequent daytime urination in children without an identifiable cause. Objectives: The aim of this case-control study was to investigate the relationship between eating habits and the incidence of pollakiuria in children. Methods: The demographic features of 64 children aged 5 - 7 years affected with pollakiuria were gathered using a questionnaire and compared with the data of 64 healthy controls. Dietary data of children were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Logistic regression was employed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of pollakiuria related to the frequency of consumption of meat, dairy products, vegetables, caffeine, and salt. Results: There were no differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). Among various food categories, children with pollakiuria consumed salt (P = 0.003) and caffeine (P < 0.001) more frequently than healthy children. Regarding the relationship between pollakiuria development and the consumption of certain foods, a statistically significant relationship was found only for salt (OR = 1.24; P = 0.002) and caffeine (OR = 1.038; P < 0.001). Conclusions: According to the findings of this study, restricting the use of salt and caffeine may be effective in reducing the risk of pollakiuria in children. It seems necessary to conduct more studies to assess the role of other dietary habits, as well as confounding factors such as blood pressure, fluid consumption, exposure to tobacco smoking, and physical activity, in the development of pollakiuria.