Association between paternal age at childbirth and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.
10.7499/j.issn.1008-8830.2203146
- Author:
Ning PAN
1
;
Li-Zi LIN
;
Xin WANG
1
;
Cui-Hua GUO
;
Jin JING
1
;
Xiu-Hong LI
1
Author Information
1. Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorder;
Child;
Paternal age at childbirth
- MeSH:
Adult;
Autism Spectrum Disorder;
Child;
China;
Cross-Sectional Studies;
Female;
Humans;
Maternal Age;
Paternal Age;
Pregnancy;
Risk Factors
- From:
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics
2022;24(8):863-868
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES:To study the association between paternal age at childbirth and the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring.
METHODS:In this cross-sectional study, 71 children with ASD who were diagnosed in the Department of Child Healthcare in six hospitals in Guangzhou, Foshan, Beijing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Chongqing of China from August 2016 to March 2017 were enrolled as subjects, and 284 typically developing children matched for age, sex, and maternal age at childbirth with the ASD children served as controls. A self-design questionnaire was used to collect the data on social demography, maternal pregnancy, and delivery. The association between paternal age at childbirth and the development of ASD in offspring was evaluated by the logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS:After control for demographic factors and pregnancy- and delivery-related factors, the logistic regression analysis showed that a relatively high paternal age at childbirth was significantly associated with the increased risk of ASD in offspring (OR=1.12, 95%CI: 1.02-1.23, P<0.05). After grouping based on the paternal age, the logistic regression analysis showed that paternal age at childbirth of ≥40 years was significantly associated with the risk of ASD in offspring (before adjustment: OR=7.08, 95%CI: 1.77-28.32, P<0.05; after adjustment: OR=8.50, 95%CI: 1.71-42.25, P<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:High paternal age at childbirth is significantly associated with the increased risk of ASD in offspring, and paternal age at childbirth ≥40 years may be the high-risk age group for ASD in offspring.
