Advanced age in the father is usually not considered an issue for genetically associated conditions in the newborn. But according to a study published in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry advanced paternal age may increase the risk for autism.
Autism is a disorder of the brain that affects1 in 2,000 children in the United States. Rates of autism and other autistic spectrum disorders have been increasing and research has been focused on finding a direct cause as well as factors that increase risk.
Researchers from New York and London examined data from thousands of young adult males and females taken at age 17 by the Israeli draft officials. The data included demographic information such as parental age and assessed a variety of health conditions including psychiatric disorders.
Rates of autism were compared to a variety of variables including maternal and paternal age to find correlations that may yield more information about the complex condition.
They found that men over the age of 40 at time of conception were more likely to have a child with autism when compared to men less than 30 years old at time of conception.
They did not find any association with maternal age, which is usually the case in genetic conditions.
Women are born with all their eggs, while men continue to produce sperm over their lifetime. As the eggs age, there is an increased risk for genetic damage. It is thought that little damage occurs in sperm because they do not age. However, some believe that damage to the specific cells responsible for making sperm can occur and that damage can carry over to the sperm cell.
There will most likely be follow-up studies that look at the association between paternal age and autism to determine the exact relationship, including how age affects the sperm.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on September 17, 2006 03:00 PM
