Enuresis: Focus on a challenging problem in primary care

Enuresis is the most common chronic condition seen in general pediatric practice. Current medical literature contains more articles about entiresis than about infantile diarrhea or child abuse, and approximately the same number as are written about childhood malnutrition or infant nutrition. Enuresis is encountered in all societies. When I visited the Peoples' Republic of China, I encountered in every outpatient clinic at least one child, supine and sporting an acupuncture needle 7.6 cm(3 in) below the umbilicus. Physicians with whom I spoke said the rate of cure was "about 40% with most others improved," which is similar to the cure rate in the United States.