to arrive at their findings, the team performed a systemic review of a series of studies that connect bipolar disorder with age. this research included 13,424,760 participants from multiple countries, 217,089 of whom had been diagnosed with the disorder. they found that older men faced a 29 per cent higher risk of having a child with bipolar disorder than fathers between the ages of 25 and 29. older women, similarly, were 20 per cent more likely to see the disorder develop in their offspring than women aged 25 to 29.
mothers who were younger than 20 also faced increased risks (23 per cent) compared to this age group, as did fathers (29 per cent). researchers said they accounted for bias, including familial history and the age of the other parent, in their analysis.
“again, we must stress that this risk is moderate and it must be kept in perspective,” fico said. “however, for those already at risk, age is another factor that should be taken into consideration and so it may be that doctors need to counsel both younger and older couples if they have a risk of bipolar disorder. we also see this u-shaped curve in some other conditions, such as autism and some cardiovascular diseases.”
according to the team, the work raises the tantalizing possibility of early detection and intervention efforts for people who struggle with the disorder. they are planning to conduct a follow up study that includes environmental factors that might relate to the risk of a diagnosis and the progression of the illness itself.
“for example, we would like to explore how the exposure to pollution, climate change and urbanization might affect the risk of some psychiatric disorders and we want to try to understand if these factors help or worsen the course of the disorder.”