On Thursday 5 March 2026 at 14:00, Sofie Axelgaard defends her PhD dissertation entitled "Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction in Children: Integrating Treatment and Microbiome Insights". 

Constipation and daytime urinary incontinence are common problems in childhood and can have a major impact on a child’s wellbeing and daily life. In her PhD project, Dr. Sofie Axelgaard investigated how constipation and daytime wetting are linked, how these children should be treated, and whether bacteria in the gut and urinary tract may play a role. The research shows that constipation itself was found to be a significant risk factor for urinary tract infections in children with otherwise normal urinary tracts.The PhD project also demonstrates that treating constipation alone can significantly reduce daytime wetting. Adding bladder training did not provide additional benefit when constipation was already well treated. These findings support constipation management as the first step in treatment.

In addition, the project explored bacteria in the gut and urinary tract of children with bladder and bowel dysfunction. While the overall bacterial composition was similar to that of healthy children, smaller differences were observed that are possibly linked to infection risk and response to treatment. This opens new perspectives for future, more targeted and non-antibiotic treatment strategies.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Atrium, Gødstrup Hospital. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Sofie Axelgaard
Mail: sofiaxel@rm.dk
Phone: +45 61460024

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