Paternal Age Is Associated With Impaired Neurocognitive Outcome in Infancy :

Paternal Age Is Associated With Impaired Neurocognitive Outcome in Infancy :
There were 55,740 singleton pregnancies. Of these, 12,297 children were excluded because of (a) missing maternal and/or paternal age (1,542), (b) having indeterminate or unspecified sex (1,050), or (c) gestational age that was missing or less than 37 wk (9,705). After randomly selecting one live-born offspring per study mother, this left a total of 33,437 study offspring (17,148 males) available for the main analyses. Of these, 51% of the mothers were white, 39% black, and the remaining 10% were Asian and other racial groups. Finally, 6,355 children were missing information about age at testing at 8 mo, while 9,930 were missing age at testing at 4 y, and 9,109 were missing age at testing at 7 y. Those with missing paternal age were significantly more likely to have missing outcome variables at 8 mo, 4 y, and 7 y (each p < 0.001).

Table 1 shows descriptive statistics for paternal and maternal age and differences in parental age. On average, fathers were 3 to 4 y older than mothers, but the differences in parental age varied widely. Concerning the primary analyses, there was a statistically significant association between advanced paternal age and inferior performance on all neurocognitive tests (all p < 0.001) except for Bayley Motor score (Model 2, p = 0.104) (see Table 2). Concerning the influence of maternal age, there were statistically significant associations between advanced maternal age and superior performance on all measures. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the mean adjusted score for paternal and maternal age for the outcome variables based on Models 1 and 2 respectively. Apart from the direction of the association between maternal and paternal age, the association between maternal age and the outcome variables at ages 4 and 7 y was curvilinear (generally steep at younger ages, then less steep at older ages), in contrast to the near-linear association with paternal age. Post-hoc analyses examining the goodness-of-fit of nonlinear versus linear models indicated that two of the variables were adequately capture by simple linear models (Bayley Mental score and Graham Ernhart Block Sort Test), but that nonlinear models were best suited for all other variables (unpublished data). Table 3 shows the estimated scores (and 95% CIs) for two paternal ages (20 and 50 y) based on the nonlinear modelling used in the primary analyses. For Model 2, the adjusted R-squared ranged from 2.4% (Bayley Motor) to 29.5% (WISC Full Scale IQ).


(Enlarge Image) Figure 1.
Primary Analyses: Model 1 -- Adjusted for Other Parent's Age, Mother's Race, Gestational Age, and Child Gender. Solid lines ranging from 15 to 45 y for maternal age, dotted lines ranging from 15 to 65 y for paternal age. Nonlinear model fit with 95% CIs.

suggesting that as men get older, they face an increased risk of fathering children with abnormalities

Walking in his shoes
July 15, 8:43 AM


When it comes to fertility and the prospect of having normal babies, it has always been assumed that women need to start a family before the age of 30 to avoid high risk pregnancies, not to how hard it is on our bodies. But evidence is raising questions about that assumption, suggesting that as men get older, they face an increased risk of fathering children with abnormalities. Several recent studies are starting to persuade many doctors that men should not be too cavalier about postponing marriage and children.

Data Converges About Older Fathers

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Data Converges About Older Fathers
A recent post in the New York Times presents some evidence that men who become fathers at a later age have unhealthier children. It is well recognized that men retain their reproductive potential longer, and lose it in a more gradual manner, than do women. Whereas women's fertility declines sharply after age 35 or so, men retain their ability to father children, albeit to a diminished degree, for several decades longer. Recently, some evidence has been presented in the scientific literature that suggests that children conceived with sperm from an older male may have cognitive or psychological challenges compared to those fathered by younger males. A recent study performed by Australian scientists concluded that older dads have children with slightly lower IQs. Others have shown increased rates of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism in children fathered by older vs. younger men. This evidence suggests that men are susceptible to age-related effects on reproductive ability. This should not surprise anyone. However, the effects of reproductive ageing appear to be expressed differently in males than in females. Dr. Dolores Malaspina, a professor of psychiatry at New York University Medical Center, puts it this way: “It turns out the optimal age for being a mother is the same as the optimal age for being a father.”

Autism tied to autoimmune diseases in immediate family

Autism tied to autoimmune diseases in immediate family

Danish researchers have found that many children with autism or related disorders also had a family history of autoimmune diseases.






By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
Danish researchers have found another clue to the mysterious causes of autism, according to a study published online this month in Pediatrics.
In a study of children born in Denmark from 1993 to 2004, doctors found that many children with autism or related disorders also had a family history of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, develop when antibodies that normally fight infectious organisms instead attack the body itself.

In the study, doctors examined patterns of disease among children, mothers, fathers and siblings.

Association of Family History of Autoimmune Diseases and Autism Spectrum

Published online July 5, 2009PEDIATRICS (doi:10.1542/10.1542/peds.2008-2445)

Association of Family History of Autoimmune Diseases and Autism Spectrum DisordersHjördís Ó. Atladóttir, BMa, Marianne G. Pedersen, Cand Scientb, Poul Thorsen, MD, PhDa,c, Preben Bo Mortensen, MD, PhDb, Bent Deleuran, MDd,e, William W. Eaton, BA, PhDf and Erik T. Parner, MSc(Stat), PhDa,g
aNanea, Department of Epidemiology, andgDepartment of Biostatistics, Institute of Public HealthbNational Centre for Register-Based Research, andeInstitute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, DenmarkcDepartment of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GeorgiadDepartment of Rheumatology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, DenmarkfDepartment of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Objectives Recent studies suggest that familial autoimmunity plays a part in the pathogenesis of ASDs. In this study we investigated the association between family history of autoimmune diseases (ADs) and ASDs/infantile autism. We perform confirmatory analyses based on results from previous studies, as well as various explorative analyses.
Methods The study cohort consisted of all of the children born in Denmark from 1993 through 2004 (689196 children). Outcome data consisted of both inpatient and outpatient diagnoses reported to the Danish National Psychiatric Registry. Information on ADs in parents and siblings of the cohort members was obtained from the Danish National Hospital Register. The incidence rate ratio of autism was estimated by using log-linear Poisson regression.
Results A total of 3325 children were diagnosed with ASDs, of which 1089 had an infantile autism diagnosis. Increased risk of ASDs was observed for children with a maternal history of rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease. Also, increased risk of infantile autism was observed for children with a family history of type 1 diabetes.
Conclusions Associations regarding family history of type 1 diabetes and infantile autism and maternal history of rheumatoid arthritis and ASDs were confirmed from previous studies. A significant association between maternal history of celiac disease and ASDs was observed for the first time. The observed associations between familial autoimmunity and ASDs/infantile autism are probably attributable to a combination of a common genetic background and a possible prenatal antibody exposure or alteration in fetal environment during pregnancy.
Key Words: autistic disorder • autoimmune diseases • autoimmunity
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval
Accepted Dec 19, 2008.

Rebecca Carley and Jane Burgetmeister

Connection between autism and a mother or father's type 1 diabetes

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/hscout/2009/07/06/hscout628750.html

Autism expert Dr. Jeffrey Brosco, a professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said the study reinforces the association between autism and a mother's autoimmune disease or, in the cases of type 1 diabetes, a mother's or father's condition.

Tony Blair: 'I’m a planet-saving kinda guy'

From The Sunday Times


July 5, 2009
Tony Blair: 'I’m a planet-saving kinda guy'
The former PM has a new green masterplan: it won’t mean giving up our energy-rich lifestyle but it will cost us billions



Jonathan Leake: News Review interview
The silence from Tony Blair is so long it’s embarrassing. He has just spent 15 minutes enthusing about his new global report about how technology can help the world to combat climate change when the obvious question arose: what has he done to make his own life more sustainable?
Er . . . (long silence) . . . “We’ve got solar panels on our house.” Which one (he has a handful)? “The London one.”
Another long silence, then an aide mentions the offsets: “Ah yes, we offset our travel, too.” More silence: “And we have some home insulation.”
It is an awkward interlude. Blair is about to launch himself onto the world stage in yet another new role: as an evangelist for world-saving green technology.

Pregnancy complications may increase autism risk
The team reviewed 64 studies of prenatal risk factors for autism. It is the first time a meta-analysis of the relationship between pregnancy-related factors and risk of autism has been carried out. The analysis is published in the July issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

(Media-Newswire.com) - Complications during pregnancy may increase the risk of having a child with autism, according to American researchers.The team reviewed 64 studies of prenatal risk factors for autism. It is the first time a meta-analysis of the relationship between pregnancy-related factors and risk of autism has been carried out. The analysis is published in the July issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.Over 50 prenatal factors were examined. The researchers found that the factors most strongly associated with an increased autism risk are:Being born to an older mother or father. Having a mother who was born abroad. Having a mother who experienced bleeding during pregnancy. Having a mother who experienced gestational diabetes. Having a mother who used medication during pregnancy. Being the first born - or later born in families where there are three or more children. The researchers put forward possible explanations for these risk factors. For example, increased maternal age may be associated with autism because of a higher risk of chromosomal abnormalities in eggs.Mothers who are born in another country may not have natural resistance to infections in the country where they give birth, which may increase the risk for autism. Moving to another country may also put women under stress, which could increase their chances of having a child who develops autism.Bleeding during pregnancy, gestational diabetes and medication use are also associated with increased autism risk. Bleeding can cause foetal hypoxia ( lack of oxygen to the brain of an unborn child ). Women who develop diabetes during pregnancy experience hormonal and metabolic changes, which may affect their baby’s health and development. Foetal development may also be affected by some medications which can cross the placenta during pregnancy.The association between birth order and autism risk is unclear. However, children with autism are more likely to be the first-born in families with only two children. In larger families with three or more children, they are more likely to be born later. It is possible that parents decide not to have more children after one has developed autism.The researchers said there was “insufficient evidence” to point to any one prenatal factor as being particularly significant. However, writing in the British Journal of Psychiatry, they said: “There is some evidence to suggest that exposure to pregnancy complications in general may increase the risk of autism.”--------------------------------------------------------------------------------For further information, please contact Liz Fox or Deborah Hart in the Communications Department.Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 298 or 127E-mail: efox@rcpsych.ac.uk or dhart@rcpsych.ac.ukReferences:Gardener H, Spiegelman D and Buka SL ( 2009 ) Prenatal risk factors for autism: comprehensive meta-analysis, British Journal of Psychiatry, 195: 7-14

Warning: Swine Flu Vaccine Coming Soon

Warning: Swine Flu Vaccine Coming Soon

Vaccine Related Ilnesses

Older fathers were also linked with autism with every additional five years increasing the risk by 3.6 per cent

Children of older parents at increased risk of autism
Children born to older parents or whose mother suffered complications during pregnancy are at increased risk of developing autism, a review of research has found.

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor Published: 7:00AM BST 01 Jul 2009
Harvard researchers examined 64 studies which looked at various factors such as order or birth, parents' age, and complications such as bleeding during pregnancy and the subsequent risk of the child developing autism.
The strongest links were found with mothers over the age of 30, bleeding during pregnancy, developing diabetes while pregnant, using medication while pregnant and being first born.


The research discovered that developing diabetes during pregnancy increase the risk of autism two-fold, bleeding during pregnancy increased the risk by 81 per cent and maternal medication use by 46 per cent.
Becoming a mother over the age of 30 increased the risk of autism by between 27 per cent to 106 per cent according to different studies included in the review. Older fathers were also linked with autism with every additional five years increasing the risk by 3.6 per cent.
Age is probably linked with autism because of greater damage to eggs and sperm as parents age, which in turn affects the quality of the embryo and developing foetus.
The analysis also found that being first-born increased the risk of autism by 61 per cent compared with children born third or later.
However the research, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, said there was no one factor which could be singled out as most important. They said complications in pregnancy in general appeared to increase the risk of having a child with autism.
The researchers also suggested that the reason for this may be that there is a common cause for both the complications and the autism, rather than the complications themselves being responsible for the condition.
The researchers said there was "insufficient evidence" to point to any one prenatal factor as being particularly significant. However, they said: "There is some evidence to suggest that exposure to pregnancy complications in general may increase the risk of autism."
The review found there was strong evidence that several factors did not increase the risk of autism including previous miscarriage, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia and swelling.
There are thought to be 588,000 people in Britain with autism spectrum disorder, including Asperger syndrome, which is a developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. People with autism have difficulties with everyday social interaction.
Fear of the condition was behind a dramatic fall in the number of children being given the triple jab for measles, mumps and rubella, following discredited research which linked it to bowel disease and autism.
A spokesman for The National Autistic Society said: "The causes of autism are not yet understood but there is evidence to suggest that autism can be caused by a variety of genetic, physical and environmental factors which affect brain development, although as yet we don't fully understand how or why this happens.
"Research into the causes of autism can cause concern and worry amongst parents of children with autism, and potential anxiety for expectant mothers or new parents. Particularly, as there is much confusion over the various theories put forward.
"Whilst research continues, it is crucial that parents have access to appropriate advice and support, as well as the services to enable them to cope with living with autism in their daily lives."