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Paternal age and Apgar scores of newborn infants
Yuelian Sun1, Mogens Vestergaard, Jin Liang Zhu
1The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre; Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health, University of Aarhus, Denmark. ys@soci.au.dk
Insights
Advanced paternal age may slightly impact newborn health. Older fathers (45+) had a higher risk of lower Apgar scores in infants, indicating potential reproductive concerns.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Neonatal Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Emerging evidence links advanced paternal age to reproductive risks.
- The impact of paternal age on newborn physical condition, specifically Apgar scores, remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between advanced paternal age and infant Apgar scores.
- To determine if paternal age influences the immediate physical well-being of newborns.
Main Methods:
- A Danish register-based cohort study included 70,347 couples and their firstborn singleton infants.
- Data spanned from 1980 to 1996, utilizing the Danish Fertility Database.
- Infant Apgar scores were obtained by linking children to the National Birth Register.
Main Results:
- Fathers aged 45-49 had an increased odds ratio (1.64) for infants with a 1-minute Apgar score of 1-3 compared to fathers aged 20-29.
- A trend (P=0.011) showed increased risk of low 1-minute Apgar scores with advancing paternal age.
- A non-significant trend (P=0.178) suggested a potential increase in low 5-minute Apgar scores for fathers aged 45+.
Conclusions:
- Advanced paternal age appears to have a modest association with Apgar scores.
- The findings suggest a potential, though not strong, link between older fathers and slightly poorer infant health at birth.
Background:
New evidence suggests that advanced paternal age is a reproductive hazard, but we do not know whether paternal age affects the physical conditions of newborn infants as measured by the Apgar score.
Methods:
We conducted a register-based cohort study of 70,347 couples and their first singleton infants by using data from the Danish Fertility Database (1980-1996). Information on Apgar score was obtained by linking the children to the National Birth Register.
Results:
The odds ratio for having a baby with a 1-minute Apgar score of 1-3 was 1.64 (95% confidence interval = 1.08-2.48) for fathers 45 to 49 years of age and 1.49 (0.76-2.94) for fathers 50+ years compared with fathers 20 to 29 years (P for trend = 0.011). The risk of having a 5-minute Apgar score less than 7 increased among fathers 45+ years old (P for trend = 0.178).
Conclusions:
Our data suggest a modest effect of advanced paternal age on the Apgar score.
