Frequency of Bedwetting (epidemiology)
Most girls can stay dry at night by age six and most boys stay dry by age seven. Boys are three times more likely to wet the bed than girls.
Doctors frequently consider bedwetting as a self-limiting problem, since most children will outgrow it. Children 5 to 9 years old have a spontaneous cure rate of 14% per year. Adolescents 10 to 18 years old have a spontaneous cure rate of 16% per year.
Approximate bedwetting rates are:
- Age 5: 20%
- Age 6: 10–15%
- Age 7: 7%
- Age 10: 5%
- Age 15: 1–2%
- Age 18–64: 0.5–1%
As can be seen from the numbers above, a portion of bedwetting children will not outgrow the problem. Adult rates of bedwetting show little change due to spontaneous cure. Persons who are still enuretic at age 18 are likely to deal with bedwetting throughout their lives.
Studies of bedwetting in adults have found varying rates. The most quoted study in this area was done in the Netherlands. It found a 0.5% rate for 18- to 64-year-olds. A Hong Kong study, however, found a much higher rate. The Hong Kong researchers found a bedwetting rate of 2.3% in 16- to 40-year-olds.
Read more about this topic: Nocturnal Enuresis
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