Advancing Paternal Age and Autism

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Abstract
This study investigated whether advancing paternal age at birth of offspring is associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. Autism is a chronic disorder with an onset by age 3 years, characterized by the following 3 main sets of behavioral disturbances: social abnormalities, language abnormalities, and stereotyped, repetitive patterns of behavior.1-4 In the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), ASD also includes atypical autism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, overreactive disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorders, which are believed to be etiologically related to autism. Prevalence estimates of ASD increased dramatically during the past 2 decades,5,6 from approximately 5 cases to 50 cases per 10 000 children.5,6 The increase is partly artifactual, owing to improved diagnostic accuracy, changes in diagnostic criteria, earlier detection, and increased awareness of types of ASD other than autism.7 However, it may also partly reflect a true increase in the incidence of ASD.8

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