A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROMES AMONG JAPANESE MEN AND WOMEN

To determine the risk factors of the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) w e conducted a case-control study in Japan. One hundred and sixteen MDS patients were diagnosed from 1 September to 31 October 1992 and from 1 August to 31 October 1993 in the 32 hospitals enrolled in the Idiopa thic Disorders of Hematopoietic Organs Research Commitee. Age, sex, an d hospital-matched controls were selected for each case. Information o n cigarette smoking and drinking habits, hair dye use, history of keep ing pet animals, and occupational exposures to organic solvents, lead and radiation was obtained from self-administered questionnaires. Cond itional logistic regression was applied to this individually matched c ase-control study and odds ratios (ORs) were computed to estimate asso ciation between each exposure variable and risk of MDS. Alcohol drinki ng was associated with increased risk of MDS (OR = 2.15; 95% confidenc e interval = 1.12-4.16) and there was a significant trend in risk with increasing amounts of ethanol consumed per week (P < 0.05). We also f ound elevated ORs for cigarette smokers (OR = 1.80), users of hair dye products (OR = 1.77), and workers exposed to organic solvents (OR = 1 .50), although these ratios were not statistically significant. Exposu re to pet animals was not associated with risk of MDS. The association observed between alcohol drinking and MDS was still eminent even afte r adjusted with other variables of cigarette smoking, hair dye use and occupational exposure to organic solvents, and the dose-response rela tionship was also confirmed. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd