SynthesisArthritis research & therapy2010
Bisphosphonates and risk of atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Arthritis research & therapy, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Denosumab vs. bisphosphonates in primary osteoporosis: a meta-analysis of comparative safety in randomized controlled trials.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2024Pooled it
- Environmental factors, serum biomarkers and risk of atrial fibrillation: an exposure-wide umbrella review of meta-analyses.European journal of epidemiology · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled 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
- A Single-Center Prospective Study of 116 Women with Osteoporosis Treated with Zoledronic Acid Monitored by Electrocardiography for the Development of Cardiac Arrhythmia During the Acute Phase in China.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2021Article
- Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation With Zoledronic Acid Versus Denosumab: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study.Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research · 2021Article
- Clinical experience with intravenous zoledronic acid in the treatment of male osteoporosis: evidence and opinions.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2013Article
- Heart failure as a risk factor for osteoporosis and fractures.Current osteoporosis reports · 2012Review
- 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
- Bisphosphonates and esophageal cancer--a pathway through the confusion.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2011Review
- Clinical utility of clodronate in the prevention and management of osteoporosis in patients intolerant of oral bisphosphonates.Drug design, development and therapy · 2011Review
- Atrial Fibrillation and Its Association with Endocrine Disorders.Journal of atrial fibrillationReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionBisphosphonates are the most commonly used drugs for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Although a recent FDA review of the results of clinical trials reported no clear link between bisphosphonates and serious or non-serious atrial fibrillation (AF), some epidemiologic studies have suggested an association between AF and bisphosphonates.
methodsWe conducted a meta-analysis of non-experimental studies to evaluate the risk of AF associated with bisphosphonates. Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE and EMBASE using a combination of the Medical Subject Headings and keywords. Our search was limited to English language articles. The pooled estimates of odds ratios (OR) as a measure of effect size were calculated using a random effects model.
resultsSeven eligible studies with 266,761 patients were identified: three cohort, three case-control, and one self-controlled case series. Bisphosphonate exposure was not associated with an increased risk of AF [pooled multivariate OR 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-1.16] after adjusting for known risk factors. Moderate heterogeneity was noted (I-squared score = 62.8%). Stratified analyses by study design, cohort versus case-control studies, yielded similar results. Egger's and Begg's tests did not suggest an evidence of publication bias (P = 0.90, 1.00 respectively). No clear asymmetry was observed in the funnel plot analysis. Few studies compared risk between bisphosphonates or by dosing.
conclusionsOur study did not find an association between bisphosphonate exposure and AF. This finding is consistent with the FDA's statement.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.