April 21, 2024, Chronicle Live : Autism signs in boys as study finds males are more likely to inherit condition than females
Autism spectrum disorder is more likely to be inherited by males than females, a new study has revealed.
The study was conducted by the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and looked at ‘sex-specific heritability’ of autism. It showed that the condition does vary between genders.
Researchers analysed data from non-twin siblings and cousins in Sweden who were born between January 1985 and December 1998 - following up on the results up to the age of 19 years old. Results were published in the online journal Psychiatry this month. The study looked at 1,047,649 individuals from 456,832 families.
Researchers found that 1.17% of the entire sample received a diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder - although the NHS now uses the term ASC, Autism Spectrum Condition). This included 1.51% of males and 0.80% of females, reports the Liverpool Echo.
As a result, ASD heritability was estimated at 87.0% and 75.7%, for males and females respectively, with the difference in heritability estimated at 11.3%. There was no support seen for shared environmental contributions.
The authors, including Sven Sandin, PHD, from the Karolinska Institutet, wrote: “The skewed sex ratio in ASD may, partly, be explained by differences in genetic variance between sexes. This discovery opens up new avenues for further research aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the prevalence of ASD."
There are varying degrees of signs of autism for both young and older children, and they can present differently based on gender, meaning it may be harder to spot in girls. The National Autistic Society has more information about the signs of ASD in women and girls.
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