Nocturia is defined as having to get up more than once per night to pass urine. It is a common problem and it has been estimated that 9% of women aged between 19 and 39 years old and 58% of female aged 50-59 years old suffer from nocturia.
Aetiology is multifactorial including sleep disturbance, increased in night time urine output, decreased in functional bladder capacity. Underlying disorders like diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, renal insufficiency, sleep apnoea etc have to been excluded. Treatment includes behavioral modification and drug. Desmopressin helps to reduce the nocturnal urine output and thus alleviate the symptoms of nocturia but should be used with caution because of the side effect of hyponatraemia and fluid retention.