Division of Allergy, Asthma, and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 5 Fu-Hsin Street, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
School of Medicine, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Respir Res. 2022 Sep 20;23(1):259. doi: 10.1186/s12931-022-02178-4.
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.
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.
Every 5-year increase in paternal age at birth was associated with 0.51% decrease in FEV/FVC ratio (95% CI - 0.86 to - 0.15; p = 0.005) and 19.86 mL/s decrease in FEF (95% CI: - 34.07 to - 5.65; p = 0.006). Stratified analyses revealed that increasing paternal age at birth was associated with decreasing FEV/FVC ratio and FEF 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 FEV/FVC ratio and FEF in the groups of paternal age 35-39 and ≥ 40 years. There was no association of paternal age at birth with FeNO.
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.
流行病学研究表明，父亲年龄较大可能会影响后代的健康，但它对呼吸系统健康的影响尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨父亲年龄与儿童肺功能和呼出气一氧化氮（FeNO）分数的关系。
我们分析了参加台湾儿童全球健康纵向研究（LIGHTS）队列的 1330 名单胎出生儿童（576 名女孩，43.3%；平均年龄 6.4 岁）的数据，这些儿童在 6 岁随访时接受了肺功能和 FeNO 的测量。采用协变量调整回归分析。
父亲出生年龄每增加 5 岁，FEV/FVC 比值下降 0.51%（95%CI：-0.86 至 -0.15；p=0.005），用力呼气流量（FEF）下降 19.86 mL/s（95%CI：-34.07 至 -5.65；p=0.006）。分层分析显示，仅在产前接触环境烟草烟雾（ETS）或未母乳喂养的儿童中，父亲出生年龄的增加与 FEV/FVC 比值和 FEF 的降低有关。使用父亲年龄作为分类变量的敏感性分析发现，在父亲年龄为 35-39 岁和≥40 岁的组中，FEV/FVC 比值和 FEF 降低。父亲出生年龄与 FeNO 无相关性。
我们的研究结果提供了新的证据，表明父亲出生年龄较大与学龄儿童肺功能下降有关。产前接触 ETS 或未母乳喂养的儿童更容易受到父亲年龄较大对儿童肺功能的不利影响。需要进一步的研究来证实这种新的父亲年龄较大的不良影响。
