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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Reprod. Health
Sec. Andrology
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frph.2024.1438049

Longitudinal Trends and Correlation Between Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence and Sperm Quality Parameters (2000-2024): A Comprehensive Statistical Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Adil A. Al-Salihy Adil A. Al-Salihy *
  • Psychological Research Center, Baghdad, Iraq

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study investigates the longitudinal trends and correlations between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) prevalence and sperm quality parameters over a 24-year period (2000-2024). Using comprehensive statistical analyses, including multiple regression, time series analysis, ANOVA, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering, logistic regression, and cross-correlation analysis, this study aims to understand the potential connections between deteriorating sperm quality and increasing ASD rates. Data on ASD prevalence were sourced from the CDC Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, while sperm quality data were collected from various published studies. The findings reveal significant negative associations between ASD prevalence and key sperm quality parameters such as sperm concentration and motility, suggesting that better sperm quality is linked to lower ASD rates. Conversely, parameters like sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), volume of ejaculate, pH level, and semen viscosity show positive associations with ASD prevalence, indicating that higher values in these parameters correlate with higher ASD rates. This study highlights the importance of maintaining reproductive health to mitigate ASD risk potentially and calls for further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms driving these trends. These findings support the hypothesis that reproductive health factors play a crucial role in ASD etiology and suggest potential biological markers for assessing ASD risk.

    Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sperm quality, Reproductive Health, ASD Prevalence, environmental factors, longitudinal study

    Received: 28 May 2024; Accepted: 31 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Al-Salihy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Adil A. Al-Salihy, Psychological Research Center, Baghdad, Iraq

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.