SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2009
Bisphosphonates and atrial fibrillation: Bayesian meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials and observational studies.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effect of Digital Mental Health Literacy Interventions on Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Healthcare outcomes assessed with observational study designs compared with those assessed in randomized trials: a meta-epidemiological study.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Recommendations for preventing fracture in long-term care.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2015Guideline
- Pooled it
- Healthcare outcomes assessed with observational study designs compared with those assessed in randomized trials.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of the association of HLA-DRB1 with rheumatoid arthritis in Chinese populations.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2013Pooled it
- Alendronate and atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2012Pooled it
- Fracture prevention in postmenopausal women.BMJ clinical evidence · 2011Pooled it
- Bisphosphonates and risk of atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis.Arthritis research & therapy · 2010Pooled it
- A disproportionality analysis of cardiac arrhythmia associated with bisphosphonates based on the FAERS database.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Antiosteoporosis medications and cardiovascular disease: a population-based nationwide nested case-control study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Methods for the inclusion of real-world evidence in network meta-analysis.BMC medical research methodology · 2021Article
- Classifying information-sharing methods.BMC medical research methodology · 2021Article
- Bisphosphonates and cardiovascular risk in elderly patients with previous cardiovascular disease: a population-based nested case-control study in Italy.Therapeutic advances in drug safety · 2019Article
- New strategies for osteoporosis patients previously managed with strontium ranelate.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2014Review
- Environmental factors, toxicants and systemic lupus erythematosus.International journal of molecular sciences · 2014Review
- Drug-induced atrial fibrillation.Drugs · 2012Review
- Intravenous bisphosphonate therapy and atrial fibrillation/flutter risk in cancer patients: a nationwide cohort study.British journal of cancer · 2011Article
- Antiresorptive therapies for osteoporosis: a clinical overview.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2011Review
- Adverse reactions and drug-drug interactions in the management of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.Calcified tissue international · 2011Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOccurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) amongst bisphosphonate users has been increasingly reported but results are conflicting. We performed a Bayesian meta-analysis to address the possible association between the occurrence of AF and bisphosphonate use and estimated the posterior probability of development of AF with bisphosphonate use.
methodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of bisphosphonates for treating and preventing osteoporosis, and observational studies investigating the incidence of AF amongst bisphosphonate users, were searched in electronic databases. We pooled the effect size with Bayesian meta-analysis for odds ratio (OR) and calculated its posterior probability of development of AF in bisphosphonate users for RCTs and observational studies, reported with the 95% credible interval (CI).
resultsOf 1751 potentially relevant citations initially retrieved, 4 RCTs and 2 reports of RCTs, and 3 observational studies were included for this meta-analysis. On pooling the RCTs, there was a non-significantly higher risk of overall (OR 1.184, 95% CI 0.837-1.656) and serious AF (OR 1.590, 95% CI 0.613-3.751) in bisphosphonate-treated patients. Combining data of observational studies also revealed a non-significantly higher risk of AF in bisphosphonate users (OR 1.251, 95% CI 0.980-1.732). Using Bayesian meta-analysis based on the effect size of observational studies as the prior, the posterior probability of OR>1.2 in the development of AF amongst bisphosphonate users in the RCTs was 0.484. Egger's regression demonstrated no notable publication bias in all the analyses.
conclusionThe current meta-analysis revealed no evidence of a higher risk of AF associated with bisphosphonate use. Nevertheless, based on Bayesian meta-analysis with the effect size of the observational studies as the prior, the posterior probabilities of development of AF was found to be 0.484 if the risk of AF was estimated to be more than 20%. The results of the current meta-analysis thus offer clinicians the practical probability of development of AF in patients who take bisphosphonates for the treatment of bone loss and corticosteroid induced osteoporosis.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.