"Autism's Angels" "Inexplicably on the rise"? Give Me A Break
Survey on Advanced Grandpaternal Age and Autism
From the August 2006 Town & Country article "Autisms Angels", And the number of diagnosed cases of autism has leaped alarmingly in recent years." So has average paternal age. "
"Autism is the nation's fastest-growing developmental disorder." Thomas Insel would you perhaps conclude that paternal age is a significant factor? Insel is quoted in this article, ""I'm not convinced that this increase can be explained by differences in diagnosis. "
I guess all the very wealthy older fathers of autistic children can fund all kinds of programs, but it won't change the fact that men over 33 are increasingly at risk for fathering autistic children, period. Hundreds and Hundreds of millions of dollars and you won't admit that you were past the age when it is healthy to father a child and that is why some of your children are very far from normal. The business of autism is vast, but the message for anyone worried about autism/schizophrenia is not to father children past the age of 33 or if the mother to be's father was over 33 when she was born, especially if there is any family history of any autoimmune disorders or of any autism/schizophrenia or other neurocognitive disorders in the family already. One could adopt or use a sperm donor.
Autism is in no way inexplicably on the rise, it is on the rise because so many men, at least 40% more than in 1980, are fathering babies 35-49 and many more at the ages of 50+. Ken Birnbaum, 63, the proud new father of twins, I guess has no idea, of the high risk for sporadic autism, schizophrenia, mental retardation, diabetes, cancers, Alzheimer's, those boys have compared the boys of a father under 30.
The Article From August 2006
We are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. We are committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals.Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is our firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle.Autism Speaks. It's time to listen.We are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. We are committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals.Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is our firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle.Autism Speaks. It's time to listen. "
What they don't say is that Andy Shih and others try to minimize all the paternal age data as if it is new or speculative and do all they can to generate funds for genomic research and biomedical research when it is worthless at helping the people who have autistic children already, the autistics children in need themselves. It certainly doesn't help prevent one case of autism.
Autism comes from numerous genetic mutations and is preventable, in some cases by earlier fathering, and wise family planning.
It is preventable through adoption if one might be a carrier of genes due to autism already in the family. One has to realize that autism did not come out of the blue and has a history. One also has to realize that childhood schizophrenia is now called autism and schizophrenia is caused in maybe one third or more cases, depending on the demographics of older fathering of babies, by the mutations in the sperm and sperm making cells of older fathers in non-familial cases.
The cause of the "inexplicable rise" is VERY CLEAR.
THE AGE OF THE FATHER AND THE
HEALTH OF FUTURE GENERATIONS
Leslie B. Raschka M.D., Associate Professor (retired),
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
Address: 27 Edgecombe ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5N 2Xl, Tel. (416) 783-6938
2
Abstract
Purpose: To assess the role of paternal age in the origin of genetic illness in future generations.
Data Sources: All reference data originated in English language international scientific literature and findings of original research conducted by myself.
Study Selection: Original articles published between 1938 and 1998 were selected according to the stated purpose. One article was written by myself.
Data Extraction: The present paper deals with 4 subtopics: andrology, genetics, pathology, and psychiatry.
Results: Nine articles reporting on 1399 patients described the deterioration of the quality of semen related to ageing. Five articles reported an increased mutation rate in the male germ cells as compared to the female germ cell. Twenty-four articles reported on 1230 patients and related studies described paternal age effect on increased mutation rate causing genetic illness. Eight articles reporting on 10,347 patients described increased prevalence of mental illness as related to older paternal age.
Conclusions: The age of the father is an important determinant of the health of future generations. Children conceived by fathers older than 36 years of age are at increased risk for genetic illness due to recent mutation in the male germ cell.
3The genetic illness of a child could originate in a mutation related to the age of the father or to a mutation in the spermatogenesis caused by ageing in previous generations. The ageing process in the male is an important, probably the most important, cause of genetic illness in human populations.
Key Words: Age of the father, mutation, genetic illness
4 Demographic changes taking place in the 20th Century have directed attention to all possible determinants of the health of future generations. The relationship between maternal age and Down Syndrome is a currently recognized scientific fact. The study of the reproductive efficiency of the male is also relevant to the health of future generations. Most children are born healthy regardless of paternal age; however, the age of the father is a determinant of ill health for a significant minority in future generations.
5 Andrology
Ageing in the male is expressed in a progressive decline both in the quality and quantity of the sperm (1). Changes include a decrease in motility (2), decreased vitality and an increased percentage of malformed sperm (3, 4, 5, 6, 7). The deterioration associated with ageing can be noticed first in men between the ages of 35 to 40 years (8, 9).
6 Genetics
The mutation rate is higher in the male than in the female germ cell (10, 11, 12, 13, 14). While the ageing male germ cell is especially sensitive to mutation (15) there is a significant difference in mutation, rates among different genes. There is evidence that mutation frequencies for a number of different genes causing illness increase with advancing paternal age. The rate of increase differs among different genes (16); not all genes are subject to the paternal age effect. Almost all new mutations were reported to occur in the male germ cell; however, paternal age effect is not equally pronounced in all mutations (12). It is operant in recent germline mutations. Inherited illnesses such as hemophilia A have their origins in mutations in earlier generations where, for example, increased maternal grandparental age was found and new germline mutation related to increased paternal age transmitted to future generations can result in hereditary illness. In the development of illness, more than one gene can be involved. The phenotypic expression can be influenced by modifying genes. The importance of mutations for the health of future generations was born out by the Bulletin of the World Health Organization 1986 (17), which states that about 1% of children will be born with a serious genetic disease and another 1% will develop a serious genetic illness later in life.
7 Pathology
The relationship between increased paternal age and pathological conditions of known genetic origin was reported for achondroplasia in nineteen publications (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34); for Apert Syndrome in sixteen publications (15, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35); on Marfan Syndrome in thirteen publications (15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34); on osteogenesis imperfecta in five publications (16, 19, 24, 25, 29); on basal cell naevus syndrome in three publications (22, 26, 32); in Waardenburg Syndrome in five publications (22, 26, 31, 32, 33); on Crouzon Syndrome in seven publications (22, 26, 28, 31, 32, 33, 35); on oculo-denta; digital syndrome in four publications (22, 26, 31, 32); on thanatophoric dysplasia in three publications (28, 29, 35); on Pfeiffer Syndrome in three publications (28, 32, 35); on tuberous sclerosis in three publications (31, 33, 36); on multiple endocrine neoplasm in three publications (32, 34, 37); on myositis ossificans in nine publications (15, 19, 21, 22, 24, 30, 31, 32, 33); and on Treacher Collins disease, four publications (22, 26, 31, 33). All of these illnesses are transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion. Increased risk for X-linked conditions associated with increased maternal grand-parental age is known to exist regarding classical hemophilia and was reported in nine publications (15, 17, 23, 25, 26 31, 32, 34, 38). This is also true for Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, reported in five publications (10, 17, 27, 31, 38). The mutation is transmitted to the child through carrier mothers.
8Psychiatry
Mutations occurring in the course of gametogenesis in the male and the association of psychosis was described in one article (39). Older maternal and paternal age in schizophrenia was reported in four articles (39, 40, 41, 42). My own study involving 574 patients has shown that the increased age of the father is a causative factor in a sub-group of the schizophrenic population (43). Two other articles, reporting on 662 and 8000 patients respectively, confirmed my conclusions, as well as indicating that increased maternal age was secondary to increased paternal age (41, 42). Three articles reporting on 1081 patients described increased paternal age in Alzheimer’s disease (44, 45, 46).
9 Discussion
All genetic illnesses have their origin in a distant or recent mutation. Paternal age is an important determinant of mutation frequency in new germ cell mutation, causing both autosomal dominant and X-linked recessive illnesses. The role of other mutagenic factors is not the subject of this study. The results of my own research are supported by other information which indicates that the leading cause of genetic illness present in human populations is the ageing process in the male. Conceiving children by men younger than 35 years of age would prevent many genetic illnesses in future generations.
10 Bibliography
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