Is bedwetting scary? What do we need to know? Childhood enuresis is a condition in which a child is unable to control daytime or nighttime urination and wets his or her pants or bed after the age of 5. The vast majority (over 90%) of enuresis in children is functional, i.e. due to genetic factors combined with improper bowel training of the child. Generally speaking, this type of enuresis, although long and stubborn, can be improved or cured with proper treatment and persistence. Only a small percentage of enuresis is caused by organic diseases of the nervous system, endocrine system or urinary system, such as brain tumors, epilepsy, diabetes, urolithiasis, urinary tract infections, urinary tract malformations, etc. This type of enuresis is secondary to enuresis. Anxious parents often come to the doctor’s clinic to ask questions about their child’s bedwetting. One mother, whose baby was only 3 years old, was very anxious because her child was wetting the bed once a night. She also asked a lot of parents of her child’s kindergarten children, and was very nervous because she got the answer that not many children still wet the bed. In addition, the more she thinks about it, the more worried she is that she herself wet the bed when she was a child until she was almost 15 years old, and when she thinks back to the scene when she was washing the sheets every day and was often scolded by her parents for it, it was unbearable to look back. So in the end is bedwetting scary? What knowledge should parents know? What is enuresis in children? Childhood enuresis is a condition in which a child is unable to control urination during the day or night and wets his or her pants or bed after the age of 5. However, parents must be aware that this age of 5 is not absolute. For example, if a child has not wet the bed at all for more than six months before the age of 5, and then bedwetting occurs again, it is highly likely that the child’s enuresis is pathological, regardless of whether the child is over 5 years old or not. This is the same as a child who has learned to walk and then can’t walk anymore. The loss of an acquired ability must have an underlying cause. What are the signs (symptoms) to recognize enuresis? Some children wet the bed every day, while others wet only 1-2 times a week; some children urinate a lot, while others wet only a little; some children stay asleep after wetting the bed, while others wake up after wetting; and some children not only wet the bed at night, but also wet their pants during the day. In enuresis, some children have constipation and fecal emission. Most children with enuresis drink less water and urinate less during the day, while they drink more water and urinate more at night. Notably, more of the children with enuresis have inattention, sleep disorders, poor temperament, introversion, or hyperactivity with poor self-control, learning disabilities, and obesity. In addition, a higher percentage of children who sleep at night with snoring have enuresis. All of these symptoms mentioned above may be related to enuresis, and parents must pay attention to them. What are the main causes of enuresis in children? Parents do not need to be overly nervous about their child’s enuresis because the vast majority (over 90%) of enuresis in children is functional, i.e. due to genetic factors combined with improper bowel training of the child. Generally speaking, although this type of enuresis is long and stubborn, it can be improved or cured with proper treatment and persistent treatment. Only a small percentage of enuresis is caused by organic diseases of the nervous system, endocrine system or urinary system, such as brain tumors, epilepsy, diabetes, urolithiasis, urinary tract infections, urinary tract malformations, etc. This type of enuresis is secondary to enuresis. If these causes exist, they can be detected by taking the child to a specialized clinic for enuresis. What are the conditions that warrant prompt medical attention? What kind of clinic do you usually see? Generally, if a child is over the age of 5 and still wetting the bed, it is important to seek medical attention because the longer the enuresis lasts, the more psychological damage it can do to the child, especially in older children. If a child’s enuresis occurs suddenly at an older age, it is even more important to pay attention and seek immediate medical attention, as this condition is often caused by lesions of the brain, spinal cord, kidneys, bladder or endocrine system. In addition, special attention should be paid to the symptoms accompanying enuresis, such as frequent and painful urination, excessive drinking, thirst, weight loss, headache, vomiting, convulsions, abdominal pain, back pain, etc. This is a warning of the presence of other serious diseases and should be seen by a doctor quickly. For children with enuresis, it is best for parents to take their children to a tertiary care hospital for enuresis, but if the symptoms mentioned above are present, they can also take their children to a neurologist, nephrologist or endocrinologist. How can parents present their child’s condition to the doctor when taking him/her to the clinic? Parents who are aware of their child’s medical condition can help the doctor in diagnosis and treatment. Parents should pay attention to the following aspects: when the enuresis started, whether it stops completely after six months, how often it occurs, whether it is accompanied by wetting pants during the day, how much it is, whether it is in the first half of the night or in the second half of the night, whether there are other accompanying symptoms, whether the child can wake up immediately after the enuresis, and so on. In addition, it is important to know if there are any cases of enuresis in the family so that the doctor can make an accurate judgment. How can parents be involved in the treatment of their children’s enuresis if they need medical attention? In the treatment of enuresis, the active cooperation of the parents is the key to successful treatment. Because for the vast majority of functional enuresis, it is not just medication that is relied upon, but also a great deal of behavioral functional training is required. The acquisition of nocturnal urinary control skills is like a person going from not knowing how to swim to learning how to swim; a lot of training must be done according to a scientific approach. Parents must build confidence with their children, constantly encourage them, and follow their doctor’s instructions to overcome enuresis as an obstacle in their lives step by step using scientific methods of functional training combined with medication.