title: Paternal age and psychiatric disorders: findings from a Dutch population registry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We measured the association between paternal age and schizophrenia (SCZ), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BPD) in the Dutch population.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 14231 patients and 56924 matched controls were collected and analyzed for an association with paternal age by logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ASD is significantly associated with increased paternal age: Older fathers >40 years of age have a 3.3 times increased odds of having a child with ASD compared to young fathers <20 years of age. SCZ has significant associations for fathers aged >35 years (OR=1.27, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.05 and 1.53). For MDD, both younger and older fathers have increased odds. No association was found for BPD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effects of paternal age as a risk factor are different for ASD and SCZ on one hand, and the affective disorders on the other hand. Different types of association might indicate different biological or psychosocial mechanisms. Late paternity (associated with predispositions to psychiatric disorders) seems the most probable explanation for the association with paternal age.
authors.affiliation: Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands. J.E.Buizer@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Jacobine E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Buizer-Voskamp
authors.forename: Wijnand
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Laan
authors.forename: Wouter G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Staal
authors.forename: Eric A M
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Hennekam
authors.forename: Maartje F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Aukes
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Termorshuizen
authors.forename: René S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: Marco P M
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Boks
authors.forename: Roel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ophoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010331:Paternal Age; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult