The British Journal of Psychiatry (2008) 193: 316-321. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.045120
© 2008 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Related articles in BJP
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tsuchiya, K. J.
Right arrow Articles by Takei, N.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tsuchiya, K. J.
Right arrow Articles by Takei, N.

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{at}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 IQ>=70, 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.


Related articles in BJP:

Highlights of this issue
Kimberlie Dean
BJP 2008 193: A14. [Full Text]  



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am J EpidemiolHome page
J. K. Grether, M. C. Anderson, L. A. Croen, D. Smith, and G. C. Windham
Risk of Autism and Increasing Maternal and Paternal Age in a Large North American Population
Am. J. Epidemiol., November 1, 2009; 170(9): 1118 - 1126.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]