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Paternal and maternal ages at conception and risk of bipolar affective disorder in their offspring

P R Menezes1, G Lewis, F Rasmussen

  • 1Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Psychological Medicine
|July 25, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Advanced parental age, both paternal and maternal, is linked to an increased risk of bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) in offspring. This contrasts with schizophrenia, where only paternal age is associated.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Genetics
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Paternal age is linked to schizophrenia risk, but its association with bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is unclear.
  • Maternal age's role in BPAD risk is also not well-established.
  • This study investigates the independent and combined effects of parental age on offspring BPAD risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test if paternal age, independent of maternal age, increases offspring BPAD risk.
  • To determine if maternal age, independent of paternal age, increases offspring BPAD risk.
  • To examine the association between parental age and BPAD in offspring.

Main Methods:

  • Population-based cohort study of individuals born in Sweden (1973-1980).
  • Outcome: First hospital admission for BPAD.
  • Analysis: Cox proportional hazard regression to calculate hazard ratios (HRs).

Main Results:

  • Each 10-year increase in paternal age showed a trend towards increased BPAD risk (HR=1.20, 95% CI 0.97-1.48) after maternal age adjustment.
  • Maternal age also showed a trend towards increased BPAD risk (HR=1.12, 95% CI 0.86-1.45) after paternal age adjustment.
  • Risk increased significantly if either parent was over 30 (HR=1.26) or both were over 30 (HR=1.45).

Conclusions:

  • Both advanced paternal and maternal ages are associated with increased offspring risk of bipolar affective disorder.
  • Parental age is a risk factor for BPAD, unlike its association with schizophrenia.
  • This highlights the importance of parental age in the etiology of BPAD.
Abstract

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