Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute leukemia： a meta-analysis

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute leukemia: a meta-analysis

Objective: The authors used a meta-analytic technique to quantify the evidence of an association between ma-ternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute leukemia (AL), which provided a basis for the prevention of childhood AL. Methods: Relevant literatures of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy were comprehensively searched and screened. Subgroup meta-analysis was conducted according to the type of leukemia. Results of research data of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy were tested for heterogeneity. Combined OR values and 95% CIs were statistically calculated with RevMan 4.2 software; Funnel plots were applied to conduct bias analysis for those included litera-tures. Results: Ten related literatures were included after data screening, 4593 cases in Al. group and 6157 cases in control group respectively. According to heterogeneity test result (χ2=16.26, P<0.05), the combined OR values and 95% Cl were calculated with random effects model, which were 1.02(0.92-1.14), Z=0.41, P=0.68 > 0.05, indicating that there was no significant difference between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute leukemia (AL). Subgroup analysis: for the association between maternal alcohol consumption dudng pregnancy and childhood acute lympho-blastic leukemia (ALL), the combined OR value and 95% CI were 0.92 (0.84-1.00), Z=1.92, P=0.05, indicating that there was significant difference between two groups; for the association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL), the combined OR values and 95% Cl were 0.82 (0.61-1.11), Z=1.30, P=0.19>0.05, indicating that there was no significant difference between two groups. Conclusion: Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a risk factor in childhood ALL, but not in childhood ANLL.