Paternal age at birth and high-functioning autistic-spectrum disorder in offspring

Abstract

Background Previous studies have reported the association between advanced paternai age at birth and the risk of autisticspectrum 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 autisticspectrum 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.