Association between parental age and atopy in Asian school-age children

[[abstract]]Background: The rising prevalence of atopic diseases over past decades in Taiwan coincides with the increase in parental age at birth. While previous studies have investigated the effects of many other socioeconomic and environmental factors related to increasing prevalence of atopic diseases, the effect of parental age at birth was understudied, particularly in the Asian population. As such, we aimed to examine the relationship between parental age at birth and atopy among school‐age children in Taiwan. Method: The study consisted of 613 school‐aged children born in 2010‐2011 that participated in the Longitudinal Investigation of Global Health in Taiwanese Schoolchildren (LIGHTS) cohort. We measured serum concentrations of allergen‐specific IgE for 40 allergens. Logistic regression models were applied to examine the effect of parental age at birth on atopy in offspring with adjustment for confounding factors, including elder siblings, sex, birth weight, parental atopy, mode of delivery, breastfeeding, maternal smoking during pregnancy, obesity and other socioeconomic factors. We then carried out separate analysis for three allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis). Results: Maternal age > 40 years was significantly associated with increased odds of atopy in offspring, independent of other risk factors (OR = 4.70, 95% CI = 1.12‐19.63). When further examining the three allergic diseases, the harmful effect of older maternal age was observed to be marginally significant in allergic rhinitis (OR = 3.35, 95% CI = 1.00‐11.43), but not asthma or atopic dermatitis. Paternal age is not significantly associated with atopy or allergic diseases. Conclusion: In this study of school‐age children, advanced maternal age, specifically those above 40 years, is significantly associated with increased odds of atopy in offspring. Similarly, advanced maternal age appears to be significantly associated with allergic rhinitis, but not asthma or atopic dermatitis. The association may be possibly explained by biological changes related to maternal aging. These results warrant further investigation in a bigger birth cohort