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Disease burden in offspring is associated with changing paternal demographics in the United States
Author(s) -
Greenberg D. R.,
Khandwala Y. S.,
Lu Y.,
Stevenson D. K.,
Shaw G. M.,
Eisenberg M. L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
andrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.947
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 2047-2927
pISSN - 2047-2919
DOI - 10.1111/andr.12700
Subject(s) - medicine , population , pediatrics , disease , incidence (geometry) , cohort , demography , cumulative incidence , cancer , breast cancer , physics , environmental health , sociology , optics
Background Average paternal age in the United States has increased substantially in the last few decades. Children of advanced age fathers have a higher incidence of early onset cancer and neuropsychiatric disease. Objectives To quantify the number of population adjusted cases of early‐onset cancer and neuropsychiatric disease in children attributable to increasing paternal age in the United States. Methods Paternal age in the United States from 1972 to 2015 was collected using the National Vital Statistics System ( NVSS ). Population attributable fraction and paternal age‐specific cumulative incidence rates of several cancers and neuropsychiatric disorders were obtained from peer‐reviewed publications. Paternal age‐specific birth rates were correlated with paternal age‐specific cumulative incidence rates to determine the number of attributable cases of disease caused by advancing age of fathers in the United States. Results The 2015 birth cohort in the United States is estimated to expect 9.2% more cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia ( ALL ) diagnosed before 16 years of age (157 additional cases), 13.2% more cases of embryonal tumors in children <5 years of age (209 additional cases), and 13.0% more cases of breast cancer in females younger than 40 years old (424 additional cases) compared to the 1972 birth cohort. We can estimate to expect 10.5% more cases of schizophrenia diagnosed before 21 years of age (2864 additional cases), 6.3% more cases of autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) in adolescents <17 years of age (2934 additional cases), 4.5% more cases of anorexia nervosa ( AN ) in females 8–30 years old (620 additional cases), and 9.2% more cases of bipolar disorder in young patients 16–25 years old (252 additional cases) in the 2015 birth cohort compared to the 1972 birth cohort. Conclusion Increasing paternal age in the United States is associated with a substantial increase in the number of cases of early‐onset cancer and neuropsychiatric disease in offspring.