ArticleJournal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA2026
Zolpidem use and the risk of arrhythmia: A nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan.
Article in Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundZolpidem is a widely prescribed hypnotic agent; however, its potential cardiovascular safety remains clinically uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the association between zolpidem use and the risk of various cardiac arrhythmias, specifically identifying which subtypes are most prevalent, using a nationwide population-based cohort in Taiwan.
methodsThis population-based, matched-cohort study utilized the Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database (2000-2015) in Taiwan, comprising two million randomly sampled individuals. To establish a robust new-user design and minimize confounding, we included only those with zolpidem use for at least 7 days and strictly excluded individuals with any history of arrhythmia or heart failure. Users were matched 1:2 with controls by age, sex, and index year. The primary outcome was the incidence of cardiac arrhythmia, defined using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. Data were analyzed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier methods, adjusting for multiple comorbidities including hypertension and diabetes.
resultsA total of 457 956 participants (152 652 zolpidem users and 305 304 matched controls) were analyzed. The groups were well-balanced with a mean age of 55.4 years and 49.2% being male. Zolpidem use was associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.983; 95% CI, 1.149-2.760; p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed that zolpidem use notably increased the risk of paroxysmal tachycardia (aHR, 2.574; 95% CI, 1.514-3.998; p < 0.001) and atrial flutter (aHR, 2.491; 95% CI, 1.457-4.212, p < 0.001).
conclusionZolpidem use is independently associated with an increased risk of incident arrhythmia, particularly tachyarrhythmias such as paroxysmal tachycardia and atrial flutter. Clinicians should incorporate cardiac risk assessment into their prescribing decisions and consider periodic monitoring for high-risk patients. Study limitations include the observational design and the unavailability of granular dosage data.
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.