Association of paternal age with prevalence of selected birth defects.
BACKGROUND
Unlike maternal age, the effect of paternal age on birth defect prevalence has not been well examined. We used cases from the Texas birth defect registry, born during 1996-2002, to evaluate the association of paternal age with the prevalence of selected structural birth defects.


METHODS
Poisson regression was used to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with paternal age for each birth defect, adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, and parity.


RESULTS
Relative to fathers ages 25-29 years, fathers 20-24 years of age were more likely to have offspring with gastroschisis (PR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.12-1.94), and fathers 40+ years old were less likely to have offspring with trisomy 13 (PR 0.40, 95% CI: 0.16-0.96). No association was seen between paternal age and prevalence of anencephaly and encephalocele. A selection bias was observed for the other birth defects in which cases of younger fathers were more often excluded from study.


CONCLUSIONS
In studies of birth defect risk and paternal age, the source of information may affect the validity of findings.
Archer
Natalie P
NP
Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit, Texas Department of State Health Services, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas 78756, USA. natalie.archer@dshs.state.tx.us
Langlois
Peter H
PH
Suarez
Lucina
L
Brender
Jean
J
Shanmugam
Ram
R
D000328:Adult; D000757:Anencephaly / Q000453:epidemiology; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004677:Encephalocele / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D020139:Gastroschisis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010331:Paternal Age; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D015983:Selection Bias; D013781:Texas; D014314:Trisomy / Q000503:physiopathology