TOPLINE:

Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), alone or in combination with desmopressin, was safe and effective in children for treating nocturnal enuresis; the combination led to greater reductions in the weekly frequency of wet nights.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a prospective trial at tertiary centers in Egypt between 2024 and 2025 to evaluate the efficacy and safety of GBE as monotherapy or in combination with desmopressin for the treatment of monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE).
• The trial enrolled 398 children with primary MNE (age range, 5-14 years) who had no other lower urinary tract symptoms and had not previously experienced a dry period lasting more than 6 months.
• The participants were randomly assigned to receive GBE (60 mg/d) and placebo, desmopressin (0.2 mg/d) and placebo, desmopressin and GBE, or placebo alone for 3 months. All medications were administered at bedtime, with fluid restrictions applied per desmopressin guidelines.
• The primary outcome was the change in the weekly frequency of wet nights; secondary outcomes were changes in quality of sleep, arousal, and quality of life, assessed using validated scales.

TAKEAWAY:

• After 3 months, children who received combination therapy had a greater reduction in the number of wet nights per week (median, 0) than those who received GBE (median, 6), desmopressin (median, 2), or placebo (median, 6; P < .001).
• Full response, defined as improvement of 90% or more, was achieved in 88.3% of children who received the combination compared with 46.5% of those who received desmopressin, 24.8% who received GBE, and 9.5% who received a placebo.
• Those who received GBE as monotherapy or combination therapy experienced lighter sleep and improved arousal; quality of life improved across all treatment groups, with the greatest benefit observed in the combination group.
• Rates of adverse effects were similar across treatment groups, and sodium levels remained stable across groups.

IN PRACTICE:

“Our results demonstrated that this new combination achieved greater reductions in wet nights, higher response rates, lighter sleep, improved arousal and QOL [quality of life] outcomes, and lower relapse rates, highlighting its potential added clinical benefit as substitution for alarm therapy in combination with desmopressin,” the researchers of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Mohamed El-Shazly, Urology Department, Menoufia University, Shibin el Kom, Egypt. It was published online on June 09, 2026, in the Journal of Pediatric Urology.

LIMITATIONS:

The study did not include subgroup analyses for risk factors such as nocturnal polyuria or sleep arousal disorders and did not document nocturnal urine volume.

DISCLOSURES:

The study did not receive any specific grants, and the authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.