Association of advanced paternal age with lung function at school age

Abstract

Background Epidemiological studies suggest that advanced paternal age impact offspring health, but its impact on respiratory health is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association of paternal age with lung function and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in children. Methods We analyzed data from 1330 single-born children (576 girls, 43.3%; mean age, 6.4 years), who participated in the Longitudinal Investigation of Global Health in Taiwanese Schoolchildren (LIGHTS) cohort and received measurements of lung function and FeNO at 6-year follow-up visits. Covariate-adjusted regression analyses were applied. Results Every 5-year increase in paternal age at birth was associated with 0.51% decrease in FEV1/FVC ratio (95% CI − 0.86 to − 0.15; p = 0.005) and 19.86 mL/s decrease in FEF75 (95% CI: − 34.07 to − 5.65; p = 0.006). Stratified analyses revealed that increasing paternal age at birth was associated with decreasing FEV1/FVC ratio and FEF75 only among children with prenatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or not being breastfed. Sensitivity analyses using paternal age as a categorical variable found decreasing FEV1/FVC ratio and FEF75 in the groups of paternal age 35–39 and ≥ 40 years. There was no association of paternal age at birth with FeNO. Conclusion Our findings provide novel evidence linking advanced paternal age at birth with decreasing lung function in children at school age. Children with prenatal exposure to ETS or not being breastfed are more vulnerable to the adverse effect of advanced paternal age on childhood lung function. Further studies are warranted to confirm this novel adverse effect of advanced paternal age.

Maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy in association with childhood overweight or obesity

“…This study used the data collected from the Longitudinal Investigation of Global Health in Taiwanese Schoolchildren (LIGHTS) cohort, including 1513 children who were born in 2010 through 2011 in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and who attended a follow-up visit at a mean age of 6.4 years, ranging from 5.5 to 7.9 years, as has been described elsewhere [21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. BMI and body fat percentages were measured during the follow-up visit between 2016 and 2018.…”