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Paternal and maternal ages at conception and risk of bipolar affective disorder in their offspring

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 July 2009

P. R. Menezes ,
G. Lewis ,
F. Rasmussen ,
S. Zammit ,
A. Sipos ,
G. L. Harrison ,
P. Tynelius  and
D. Gunnell
P. R. Menezes
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil Academic Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Community Based Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
G. Lewis
Affiliation:
Academic Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Community Based Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
F. Rasmussen*
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Public Health Epidemiology Group, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
S. Zammit
Affiliation:
Academic Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Community Based Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
A. Sipos
Affiliation:
Academic Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Community Based Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
G. L. Harrison
Affiliation:
Academic Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Community Based Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
P. Tynelius
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Public Health Epidemiology Group, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
D. Gunnell
Affiliation:
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Professor F. Rasmussen, Child and Adolescent Public Health Epidemiology Group, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, SE-17176Stockholm, Sweden. (Email: finn.rasmussen@ki.se)
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Abstract

Background

A consistent association between paternal age and their offspring's risk of schizophrenia has been observed, with no independent association with maternal age. The relationship of paternal and maternal ages with risk of bipolar affective disorders (BPAD) in the offspring is less clear. The present study aimed at testing the hypothesis that paternal age is associated with their offspring's risk of BPAD, whereas maternal age is not.

Method

This population-based cohort study was conducted with individuals born in Sweden during 1973–1980 and still resident there at age 16 years. Outcome was first hospital admission with a diagnosis of BPAD. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using Cox's proportional hazard regression.

Results

After adjustment for all potential confounding variables except maternal age, the HR for risk of BPAD for each 10-year increase in paternal age was 1.28 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.48], but this fell to 1.20 (95% CI 0.97–1.48) after adjusting for maternal age. A similar result was found for maternal age and risk of BPAD [HR 1.30 (95% CI 1.08–1.56) before adjustment for paternal age, HR 1.12 (95% CI 0.86–1.45) after adjustment]. The HR associated with having either parent aged 30 years or over was 1.26 (95% CI 1.01–1.57) and it was 1.45 (95% CI 1.16–1.81) if both parents were >30 years.

Conclusions

Unlike schizophrenia, the risk of BPAD seems to be associated with both paternal and maternal ages.

Keywords

Bipolar affective disordercohort studyepidemiologypaternal agerisk factors
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , March 2010 , pp. 477 - 485
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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