Children who snore are about four times more likely than those who don’t to wet the bed, a new study from Greece shows.

Bedwetting and snoring have been linked in both adults and children, Dr. Emmanouel I. Alexopoulos of Larissa University Hospital and colleagues note in their report Treating the cause of snoring - for example, by removing the adenoids and tonsils, can also stop bedwetting.

To clarify the relationship between snoring and bedwetting, the researchers evaluated 1,821 children between the ages of 5 to 14 years old, 2.4% of whom had a history of bedwetting. Those who snored more than three times a week, 7.4% of the total, were classified as habitual snorers.

Among the habitual snorers, the researchers found that 7.4% wet the bed compared with 2% of the children who did not snore, making children who snored 3.5 times more likely to wet the bed.

However, the researchers found, less than one quarter of the children who wet the bed also snored, which suggests it is unlikely that there is a common underlying cause for both.

There is evidence that people who snore produce more urine at night, while trying to breathe through obstructed airways may cause abdominal pressure that could also contribute to incontinence, Alexopoulos and his team note.

Based on the findings, pediatricians should ask the parents of their young patients who snore about bedwetting, and vice versa, they conclude.

SOURCE: Urology, August 2006.