Question
My child is 8 years old and still has the issue of bedwetting. In the past, massaging the soles of their feet temporarily relieved the problem, but recently, the bedwetting has started again. Is this a disease? What is the most effective treatment?
Answer
By the age of one and a half, children begin to develop control over their urination, able to sense and wake up to urinate during sleep. If a child over three years old wets the bed unintentionally during sleep, and it happens two or more times a week for six months, it is considered enuresis. Enuresis may be influenced by genetic factors; if one parent has a history of enuresis, there is a 40% chance that the child will also have it. These children can often relieve themselves when their parents stop bedwetting. Some enuretic children have insufficient nocturnal antidiuretic hormone secretion, leading to reduced urine concentration at night, or an imperfect bladder function, causing frequent urination but small amounts of urine. Most enuretic children sleep very deeply and are unable to wake up and sense the need to urinate. It’s normal for a 4-year-old child to occasionally wet the bed; about 12% of children still occasionally wet the bed by the age of 6, as long as it’s not frequent every night, parents should not be overly concerned. Enuresis has a strong genetic component; children with both parents having a history of enuresis have a 77% chance of enuresis, those with one parent having a history have a 43% chance, and those with neither parent having a history have only a 15% chance of frequent bedwetting. When a child wets the bed, parents should not blame them; it’s not their fault, and they already feel guilty. Moreover, do not apply pressure to them, as this may lead to feelings of inferiority and affect their mental health. It is important to avoid…