Association with Maternal Age and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Pediatrics: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objectives: To comprehensively evaluate the existing literature on the relationship between maternal age and the development of ASD, focusing on potential biological, genetic, and social factors contributing to this association.
Methods: Electronic databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Scopus were thoroughly searched. Qualifying papers were assessed and data was extracted by two impartial reviewers.
Results: Our data consists of eight studies with 2765 children, 1968 (71.2%) of whom were males. The results from various studies exploring the association between maternal age and ASD demonstrate mixed findings. In some studies, no significant association was found between maternal age and the incidence of ASD. However, several other studies reported a significant correlation between advanced maternal age and ASD.
Conclusion: This systematic study concludes by highlighting the strong correlation between older mothers and a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder in their offspring. The overwhelming body of data suggests that mothers 35 years of age or older may be at risk, even if certain studies did not find any discernible correlation. Subsequent investigations ought to concentrate on identifying the biological pathways and examining the impact of additional elements that could potentially contribute to this correlation.