Increased paternal age in CHARGE association

Abstract

The acronym CHARGE refers to a non-random clustering of congenital malformations whose cause remains unknown. Here, we report on a series of 41 patients and find a significant increase in mean paternal age of birth of CHARGE patients (33.7 +/- 8 years) compared with the control population (30.8 +/- 5 years). In contrast, maternal age was not statistically different in patients and controls. These data suggest the possible role of a dominant mutation or, less likely, a subtle chromosomal abnormality in CHARGE association.