The optimal duration of alarm therapy use in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE) has a range of 1.6-5.3% in adolescents and 7.5-12.4% in children of 5-10 years. Alarm intervention has been well known for more than 30 years. This method is a reliable and safe means of treating primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis, being effective in 60-80% of cases.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of alarm intervention prolongation after the cure in order to reduce the risk of disease recurrence.


STUDY DESIGN
Two hundred ninety-four boys and 161 girls (455 persons in total) of age 9-14 years (average 11.4 years) took part in the prospective randomized study. After preselection and establishing diagnosis, all patients were randomly divided in three groups. In group А (n = 139) alarm system treatment was carried out within 12 weeks, in group В (n = 136) 16 weeks, and in group С (n = 139) 20 weeks.


RESULTS
The percentage of patients who no longer wet the bed (for 2 weeks or more) immediately after treatment in groups B (80.7%) and C (85.5%) was higher than in group A (67.4%) if the probability of error is pB/A < 0.05; pC/A < 0.05. There was no statistically significant difference in treatment success between groups B and C immediately after treatment. The percentage of patients who no longer wet the bed 3 months after the end of treatment in groups B (71.2%) and C (77.1%) was higher than in the group A (45.9%) if the probability of error is pB/A < 0.05; pC/A < 0.05. There was no statistically significant difference in treatment success between groups B and C 3 months after treatment. During the year this ratio did not change.


DISCUSSION
These data suggest that the effective duration of alarm intervention is found in the range 16-20 weeks and involves an uninterrupted course of treatment. Perhaps this range of time is optimal for the formation of a neuroreflexive mechanism that creates a habit for independent awakening in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.


CONCLUSION
The effective duration of alarm intervention is likely to be 16-20 weeks of an uninterrupted course of treatment. This time interval ensures the maximum effectiveness of treatment and the stability of long-term results.