Paternal age and risk of autism in an ethnically diverse non-industrialized setting: Aruba

I.D. Van Balkom, M. Bresnahan, P.J. Vuijk, J. Hubert, E. Susser, H.W. Hoek

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Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine paternal age in relation to risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in a setting other than the industrialized west. Design: A case-control study of Aruban-born children (1990-2003). Cases (N = 95) were identified at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic, the only such clinic in Aruba; gender and age matched controls (N = 347) were gathered from public health records. Parental age was defined categorically (≤29, 30-39, 40-49, ≥50y). The analysis was made, using conditional logistic regression. Results: Advanced paternal age was associated with increased risk of ASDs in offspring. In comparison to the youngest paternal age group (≤29y), risk of autism increased 2.18 times for children born from fathers in their thirties, 2.71 times for fathers in their forties, and 3.22 thereafter. Conclusion: This study, part of the first epidemiologic study of autism in the Caribbean, contributes additional evidence, from a distinctive sociocultural setting, of the risk of ASD associated with increased paternal age. © 2012 van Balkom et al.
Original languageEnglish
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume7
Issue number9
Early online date11 Sept 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

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