title: Alcohol consumption and risk of myelodysplastic syndromes: A meta-analysis of epidemiological studies.
abstract: Previous studies on the association between alcohol intake and the risk of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have been inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate alcohol intake as a risk factor for MDS. We performed a systematic literature search of articles published before March, 2014 using Web of Science, PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Two evaluators independently selected and reviewed studies based on predetermined selection criteria. The fixed- or random-effects models were used to summarize the estimates of odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 9 studies (8 case-control and 1 cohort) met the inclusion criteria of this meta-analysis. No significant association was observed between alcohol consumption and MDS when comparing drinkers to non-drinkers (OR=1.16, 95% CI: 0.88-1.53) or between subgroups stratified by alcohol history, gender, ethnicity, study design, source of patients or MDS subtypes. However, the data indicated a stronger association of alcohol with MDS in individuals who consumed ≥10 g/day (OR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.08-2.21) vs. those who consumed <10 g/day (OR=1.09, 95% CI: 0.78-1.53). This meta-analysis suggests that alcohol intake may increase the risk of MDS in a dose-dependent manner. However, additional well-designed, prospective cohort studies are required to verify these findings and identify other risk factors associated with MDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China ; Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China ; Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Mengxia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China ; Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China ; Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China ; Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China ; Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Feifei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Zhengping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China ; Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tong
keywords: alcohol drinking; epidemiological studies; meta-analysis; myelodysplastic syndromes