Child death rate higher with older dads

AARHUS, Denmark, June 2 (UPI) -- Danish researchers say they found a higher mortality in children of fathers age 45 years or older that lasted until the children were age 18.

Liang Zhu of The Danish Epidemiology Science Center, University of Aarhus, in Denmark, says the findings add to the accumulating evidence on adverse effects of advanced paternal age in procreation.

Using data from Danish Fertility Database from 1980 to 1996, the researchers identified 102,879 couples and their firstborn children. Information on childhood death was obtained by linking the data to to the nationwide register on cause of death

The study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, found that the researchers observed a U-shaped association between paternal age and the overall mortality rate in children up to 18 years of age.

Compared with children of fathers ages 25 and 29 years, the adjusted mortality rate ratio was double with fathers over the age of 45. The children's mortality was highest for congenital malformations and injury.

The study also found higher death rates higher among children of the youngest fathers, below the age of 19, however, these differences were explained by the risks of teen motherhood, poorer diet and lifestyle.