Myths and facts about bed-wetting.

About 5-7,000,000 children wake up every morning in a wet bed. A survey of 9,000 families found that, despite the prevalence of the condition, less than half of parents understand that bed-wetting, medically known as primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE), may be a medical -- not behavioral -- condition that can be treated. Forty-seven percent mistakenly believe PNE is associated solely with drinking too many liquids before going to. "Although limiting liquids with caffeine before bedtime should be encouraged, parents should understand that bed-wetting may be a common medical problem, and their child's physician is the best source of information about treatment for a bed-wetting child," explains Marc Cendron, a pediatric urologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, N.H.

According to the poll, most adults believe a number of inaccurate myths:

Myth: Kids wet the bed on purpose

Fact: Bed-wetting is not the child's fault and is known to run in families. Researchers have identified the first direct genetic link to PNE on a single region of chromosome 13. "We now have scientific evidence that many cases of bed-wetting are caused by genetic factors beyond a child's and parent's control," says Hans Eiberg, an associate professor at the Danish Centre for Genome Research, who discovered the specific genetic marker.

Research suggests that if both parents have a history of bed-wetting, their offspring has a 77% chance of being a bed-wetter. If one parent was a bed-wetter, the youngster has a 44% chance of wetting the bed. There is only a 15% chance of a child bed-wetting if neither parent has a history of the condition.

Myth: A bed-wetting child is lazy.

Fact: While the exact cause of PNE has not been identified, research indicates that bed-wetting usually is a physiological and not a behavioral problem. Studies have found that some children who wet the bed lack a normal increase in antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which controls urine production at night.

"In non-bed-wetters, ADH levels increase at night, leading to a decrease in urine production. In some bed-wetters, there is no increase, or it's insufficient, resulting in an overproduction of urine and, thus, bed-wetting," notes Lane Robson, a pediatric nephrologist at The Children's Hospital, Greenville, S.C.

Myth: Bed-wetting is a result of deep sleeping patterns; fully waking a child is helpful.

Fact: Although 44% of the parents surveyed believed bed-wetting is caused by a youngster's deep...