Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42778795›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2026

Antidepressant use and the risk of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aimen Amirat, Mousa Almasalma, Alaa Ashraf Mohamed, Mohamed Mohamed Elhosary, Batoul Abusalah, Alaa Mohamed, Mohamed Mansour

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Aimen AmiratFaculty of Medicine, University of Algiers 1, Algiers, Algeria. ayman.amirat999@gmail.com.
Mousa AlmasalmaFaculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Alaa Ashraf MohamedFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt.
Mohamed Mohamed ElhosaryFaculty of Medicine, Damietta University, New Damietta, Egypt.
Batoul AbusalahFaculty of Medicine, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
Alaa MohamedFaculty of Medicine, University of Dongola, Dongola, Sudan.
Mohamed MansourFaculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAntidepressants (ADs) have been associated with adverse cardiovascular effects, including cardiac arrhythmias. Evidence on the association between AD use and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular arrhythmia/sudden cardiac death (VA/SCD) remains inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the relationship between AD use and the risk of AF and VA/SCD.

methodsA detailed search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science till June 2026. Cohort and case-control studies comparing AD users with non-users and reporting AF, VA, or SCD as outcomes were included. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model.

resultsTwelve studies with 9,619,278 participants were included. AD use was associated with a significantly increased risk of VA/SCD (9 studies, 6,373,522 participants, OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.15-1.55; I² = 90.5%). The association remained significant for both SSRIs and TCAs. For AF, no overall significant association emerged (3 Studies, 3,245,756 participants, OR = 1.75, 95% CI: 0.84-3.62; I² = 98.1%). However, sensitivity analysis excluding one influential study showed a significant association with AF (2 Studies, 18,109 participants, OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.07-1.50) and eliminated heterogeneity (I² = 0%).

conclusionThis meta-analysis suggests an association between AD use and an increased risk of VA/SCD, while evidence for AF remains uncertain because the results were influenced by a single study. Future large observational studies that better address confounding by indication and adequately adjust for depression are needed to provide more robust evidence.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsArrhythmias, CardiacAtrial FibrillationDeath, Sudden, CardiacHumansRisk FactorsAntidepressive AgentsAntidepressantsAtrial fibrillationMeta-analysisSudden cardiac deathVentricular arrhythmia

Identifiers

PMID42778795

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.