An investigation that can shed some light on the growing number of children with autism is what has been published in Autism Research that relates maternal age to disease. The older the mother, the greater the risk of autism in the child.
Scientists at the University of California analyzed the ages of mothers and the births of 4.9 million babies, among which 12,159 cases of autism were diagnosed. They found that the risk of autism increased proportionally with the mother's age, being higher in children born to mothers over 40 years old.
The risk increased by 18 percent for every five years the mother's age increased, concluding that the risk of a 40-year-old woman is almost 50 percent more than a woman between 25 and 29 years old.
It is not known for sure what is the reason why the risk increases as the mother's age increases, but they speculate that it could have to do with the levels of certain antibodies in the baby against a brain protein, whose production is associated with the mother's advanced age.
For their part, researchers have taken credit from previous studies that related the father's advanced age with a higher risk of having children with autism or related syndromes.
Undoubtedly, the study makes us reflect on the health consequences of children caused by advanced motherhood.
It is not the only factor that explains the tremendous increase in autism in recent years, it is also related to genetic mutations, television, mercury contamination, extreme prematurity, but it is certainly revealing and disturbing that maternal age is contributing to it.
It is no coincidence that the greatest number of cases of autism occurs precisely in developed countries where it is common for women to become mothers from the age of 35.
