Advanced paternal age is associated with an increased risk for high-functioning autistic-spectrum disorder.

The British Journal of Psychiatry (2008) 193: 316-321. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.045120
© 2008 The Royal College of Psychiatrists



Paternal age at birth and high-functioning autistic-spectrum disorder in offspring
Kenji J. Tsuchiya, MD, PhD
Osaka Hamamatsu Joint Research Center for Child Mental Development, and Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan

Kaori Matsumoto, MA and Taishi Miyachi, MD, PhD

Osaka Hamamatsu Joint Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan

Masatsugu Tsujii, PhD

Osaka Hamamatsu Joint Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, and Faculty of Sociology, Chukyo University, Nagoya, Japan

Kazuhiko Nakamura, MD, PhD, Shu Takagai, MD, PhD, Masayoshi Kawai, MD, PhD, Atsuko Yagi, MD, PhD, Kimie Iwaki, MD and Shiro Suda, MD, PhD

Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan

Genichi Sugihara, MD, PhD

Osaka Hamamatsu Joint Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan

Yasuhide Iwata, MD, PhD

Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan

Hideo Matsuzaki, MD, PhD

Osaka Hamamatsu Joint Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan

Yoshimoto Sekine, MD, PhD and Katsuaki Suzuki, MD, PhD

Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan

Toshirou Sugiyama, MD, PhD

Aichi Children's Health and Medical Center, Obu, Japan

Norio Mori, MD, PhD

Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan

Nori Takei, MD, PhD, MSc

Osaka Hamamatsu Joint Research Center for Child Mental Development and Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan, and Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

Correspondence: Nori Takei, Osaka Hamamatsu Joint Research Center for Child Mental Development (OHJRC–CMD), Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Handayama 1 Higashiku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan. Email: ntakei@hama-med.ac.jp

Declaration of interest

None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background

Previous studies have reported the association between advanced paternal age at birth and the risk of autistic-spectrum disorder in offspring, including offspring with intellectual disability.

Aims

To test whether an association between advanced paternal age at birth is found in offspring with high-functioning autistic-spectrum disorder (i.e. offspring without intellectual disability).

Method

A case–control study was conducted in Japan. The participants consisted of individuals with full-scale IQ70, with a DSM–IV autistic disorder or related diagnosis. Unrelated healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. Parental ages were divided into tertiles (i.e. three age classes). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic regression analyses, with an adjustment for age, gender and birth order.

Results

Eighty-four individuals with autistic-spectrum disorder but without intellectual disability and 208 healthy controls were enrolled. Increased paternal, but not maternal, age was associated with an elevated risk of high-functioning autistic-spectrum disorder. A one-level advance in paternal age class corresponded to a 1.8-fold increase in risk, after adjustment for covariates.

Conclusions

Advanced paternal age is associated with an increased risk for high-functioning autistic-spectrum disorder.




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