Oral Bisphosphonates and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter in Women: A Self-Controlled Case-Series Safety Analysis

2009

Oral Bisphosphonates and Atrial Fibrillation Risk in Women

Sample size: 2195 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Anthony Grosso, Ian Douglas, Aroon Hingorani, Raymond MacAllister, Liam Smeeth

Primary Institution: University College London

Hypothesis

Is there an increased risk of atrial fibrillation and flutter in women taking oral bisphosphonates?

Conclusion

The study found no strong evidence of a long-term increased risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter associated with oral bisphosphonates, although a potential risk during the first few months of therapy with alendronic acid was noted.

Supporting Evidence

The study analyzed data from over 40,000 female patients exposed to oral bisphosphonates.
The incidence rate ratio for atrial fibrillation or flutter was found to be 1.07.
Increased risk of atrial fibrillation was noted during the first few months of alendronic acid therapy.

Takeaway

This study looked at whether a type of medicine called bisphosphonates could make women more likely to have heart problems. It found that while there isn't a big risk overall, there might be a small risk when starting the medicine.

Methodology

The self-controlled case-series method was used to assess the risk of atrial fibrillation and flutter in women exposed to oral bisphosphonates using data from the UK General Practice Research Database.