Genes may be to blame for bedwetting

ACADEMICS have found genes that make young people 40% more likely to wet the bed.

Bedwetting affects around one in 20 10-year-olds. Many parents believe bedwetting is caused by stress, while some think it is the child’s fault.

But the results of a new study have identified specific genes which play a crucial role.

Dr Soren Rittig of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and his colleagues looked at 40,000 young Danes, of whom almost 4,000 had problems staying dry at night or had been prescribed medication for bedwetting. By looking at DNA from both groups, they identified six genetic ‘variants’ that increased the chance of the problem occurring.

He said: ‘This research is important because it speaks to support that bedwetting is not a psychological problem, or something you should blame the child for.’