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Risk of autism and increasing maternal and paternal age in a large north American population

Judith K Grether1, Meredith C Anderson, Lisa A Croen

  • 1Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, California 94804, USA. judith.grether@cdph.ca.gov

American Journal of Epidemiology
|September 29, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Advanced parental age independently increases autism risk. A 10-year increase in maternal age raised autism odds by 38%, while a 10-year increase in paternal age raised odds by 22%.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Reproductive Epidemiology
  • Genetics and Genomics

Background:

  • Inconsistent findings exist on independent effects of maternal and paternal age on autism risk.
  • Maternal and paternal age may influence autism risk through distinct biological pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the independent associations of maternal and paternal ages with autism risk.
  • To quantify the risk of autism associated with increasing parental ages.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a large cohort of California singletons born between 1989-2002 (n=7,550,026).
  • Identified children with autism (n=23,311) via the California Department of Developmental Services.
  • Employed adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals to assess parental age effects on autism risk, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

  • A 10-year increase in maternal age correlated with a 38% increase in autism odds (OR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.32-1.44).
  • A 10-year increase in paternal age correlated with a 22% increase in autism odds (OR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.18-1.26).
  • These age effects were consistent across racial/ethnic subgroups and more pronounced in first-born children.

Conclusions:

  • Both advanced maternal and paternal ages are independently associated with an increased risk of autism.
  • The findings highlight the need for further research into the biological mechanisms underlying these age-related risks.
  • Parental age is a significant, independent risk factor for autism spectrum disorder.

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