MGUS study characteristics

The eligible articles were published between 1996 and 2018 (described in Table 1). Five case-control and three cohort studies were reviewed. The studies were conducted in the USA (n = 2) [27, 28], the UK (n = 1) [26], Sweden (n = 1) [29], Italy (n = 2) [30, 31], and Iceland (n = 2) [32, 33]. Of the studies included in this review, only one had a sample size of less than 1000 participants [30], and two were performed in only men or women [27, 28]. Two analyses conducted in Iceland used the same study population [32, 33]. MGUS case identification criteria used in each study are shown in Table 2. MGUS risk factors were grouped into three categories: sociodemographic, medical/clinical, and behavioral. Studies are described in detail in the following sections.

Characteristics of studies assessing MGUS risk factors included in the systematic review

NR not reported

MGUS case identification methods