Osteoporosis Meds Linked to Hea...(n't recommend any changes in clinical pr...),Health

Miranda's review focused on three studies of bisphosphonates that included data on atrial fibrillation as a side effect. Miranda said the authors reviewed 1,646 studies, but only three included information on atrial fibrillation.

All three studies were randomized, placebo-controlled studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007, and included more than 16,000 patients. The study populations were quite similar and included postmenopausal women between the ages of 69 and 75 who were taking bisphosphonates for osteoporosis.

The overall difference in incidence of atrial fibrillation wasn't statistically significant between those taking bisphosphonates and placebo. However, when the researchers looked just at serious atrial fibrillation, meaning that it was significant enough to require hospitalization or caused death, they found a 68 percent increased risk for those on bisphosphonates.

Miranda said it's not clear why bisphosphonates might increase the risk of atrial fibrillation.

Dr. Arthur Santora, executive director of clinical research at Merck Research Laboratories, said he was surprised that the current analysis only included three studies. Generally, he said, this type of research will include a dozen or more studies. Merck manufactures Fosamax.

Santora said his researchers have also done a meta-analysis to look at atrial fibrillation, but they included 40 studies, and they didn't find an increase in the risk of serious atrial fibrillation.

"Although this is something you want to track, and we do carefully track atrial fibrillation, there doesn't appear to be an increased risk when you look at the 40 studies we included in our meta-analysis," said Santora.

Santora said that if patients have any concerns about potential side effects, they should talk to their physicians about those concerns.

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