How does a father’s alcohol use before conception impact the health of their future children? A recent study from Denmark explores the link between paternal alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the long-term mortality risks for offspring, finding that children of fathers with AUD face higher risks of early death, especially when the disorder is diagnosed close to conception. This study emphasizes the importance of preconception health awareness for men, highlighting the potential long-term impacts on family health. Read more to understand how paternal health factors contribute to generational well-being.
Lee, P. M., Xu, X., Du, J. B., & Li, J. (2024). Paternal Preconceptional Alcohol Use Disorder With the Offspring’s Mortality Risk. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 67(1), 105-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2024.02.017
Introduction
Paternal preconceptional alcohol use may contribute to early pregnancy loss. However, the link between paternal preconceptional alcohol use disorder and long-term offspring’s mortality risk remains unclear. This study examined the association of paternal preconceptional alcohol use disorder and recency of diagnosis with offspring’s mortality and further stratified the mortality after the first year of birth by age.
Methods
This is a nationwide cohort study with 1,973,174 Danish births (1980–2012), with follow-up from birth until death; emigration; or December 31, 2016. Paternal conceptional alcohol use disorder was identified from Danish National Patient Register and Prescription Registry, categorizing recency of diagnosis into <1 year, 1 to <4 years, 4 to <8 years, and ≥8 years. Logistic regression estimated the ORs and 95% CIs for offspring mortality risk. All data were analyzed in 2023.
Results
Paternal preconceptional alcohol use disorder was associated with a 28% increased mortality after 1 year of birth (95% CI=1.09, 1.51), 23% increased infant mortality (95% CI=1.07, 1.42), and 23% increased odds of stillbirth (95% CI=1.06, 1.43). Paternal alcohol use disorder diagnosed <1 year before conception was associated with an 85%–111% increased risk of mortality in offspring aged 15–40 years. More recent alcohol use disorder diagnosis (i.e., 1 year before conception) had a higher risks of death from infectious and circulatory diseases in offsprings.
Conclusions
Offspring of fathers with alcohol use disorder before conception had higher mortality risk from birth to early adulthood, especially when alcohol use disorder diagnosis is close to conception. Current awareness regarding paternal preconceptional alcohol dependence use is insufficient. Promoting alcohol dependence avoidance, including educating men on the impact of alcohol on child health during prepregnancy examination, may help reduce or prevent long-term offspring mortality.