Higher incidence of autism in grandchildren of men who fathered children after age 50

[pnwmom]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2013/03/20/across-generations-older-grandfathers-may-transmit-autism-risk-to-their-grandkids/

In the ever-complicating discussion of how developmental disorders like autism develop, new studies continue to throw new variables into the mix. It’s pretty well thought that autism develops from a combination of genetic and environmental variables, which are still only vaguely understood. Last year, several studies came out showing that the age of the parents, and particularly the age of the father, seemed to increase a child’s risk for autism. Now, it seems that on top of the father’s age (or mother’s), it’s also the grandfather’s age at the time he conceived his child that can affect his grandchild’s risk of autism.

A new study out today in JAMA Psychiatry looked at health records from over 5,900 Swedish people with autism, and 31,000 without, born after the year 1932. The researchers knew everyone’s psychiatric histories, the ages of the grandparents when they conceived a child, and the grandchild’s risk of autism. They analyzed the data to find correlations between these variables.

For men who had a daughter when they were 50 or older, their grandchild’s risk of autism was 79% higher, compared to grandfathers who’d had their daughters between 20 and 24. For men who had sons after age 50, their risk of having a grandchild with autism was 67% higher.

SNIP

[liberal_at_heart]

1. It's definitely complex

Neither my father nor my husband's father fathered us after age 50. We still need lots more research.

[pnwmom]

2. Hopefully the recent numbers will help to convince the government that more research is needed. n/t