Older women are more likely to give birth to children with autism, but the risk is only higher for older fathers if the mother is young, US researchers report in the journal Autism Research.
The risk of a 40-year-old woman giving birth to an autistic child is 50 per cent higher than for a woman aged 25-29, according to researchers at the University of California, who decided to look at data on almost 5 million children and 12,159 cases of autism. For fathers, the risk is only similarly high if the mother is under 30.
These are further studies focusing on the association of parental age with offspring autism. They stand in contrast to the results of a 2006 study in Israel. At the time, their authors suggested that children of men over 40 were up to six times more likely to develop autism.
With the growing number of autistic children in the United States, there is a strong focus on identifying those factors that may contribute to symptoms.
Such research is being conducted, among others, by Dr Irva Hertz-Picciotto, who explains that the older a parent is, the more toxins have accumulated in his or her body. These toxins, in turn, do not remain unaffected by the ova and sperm. In addition, older mothers are more likely to suffer from autoimmune diseases and are more prone to gestational diabetes. Dr Hertz-Picciotto also points out that older parents are more likely to have a history of infertility treatment. All of these factors can influence the development of autism in a child.
In addition to the age of the parents, the researchers look at a wide range of environmental factors. They also take into account past infections, treatment, diet and supplements taken, among others. Specialists at the US National Institute of Mental Health, in turn, intend to sequence the genomes of hundreds of children and their parents in the near future to learn more about the genetic basis of autistic disorders. (PAP)
Source
- https://www.medonet.pl/zdrowie/wiadomosci,wiek-rodzicow-a-ryzyko-autyzmu-u-dziecka,artykul,1598789.html
