Table 1

Summary of included cohort studies and characteristics

Study, year, country

Subjects

Mean age

(years)

Mean follow-up (years)

Type of bisphosphonate

AF definition

Total AF events (n)

Variables matched and/or controlled

Quality assessment score^§

Bunch and colleagues [15], 2009, USA

9,623 (98 BIS users and 9,525 non-users) in angiographic research database

60

4.1

Alendronate

Etidronate

Ibandronate

Risedronate

Zoledronic acid

Hospital discharge ICD-9 codes and EKG data

974

Age, HTN, hyperlipidemia, DM, HF, CAD, etc

4/2/3

37,485 (7,489 BIS users and 29,996 non-users) in a commercial health care system database

51

4.6

1012

Abrahamsen and colleagues [14], 2009, Denmark

43,033 patients (14,302 BIS users and 28,731 non-users) with fractures in the National Hospital Discharge register

74

2.7

Alendronate

Clodronate

Etidronate

Ibandronate

Risedronate

Prescription for a cardiac glycoside +/- ICD-10 codes

797 *

Age, gender, fracture sites, medications use for DM, HTN, hypercholesterolemia, and thrombosis, and Charlson index

4/2/3

Huang and colleagues [17], 2009, Taiwan

27,257 women (21,037 BIS users and 6,220 raloxifene users) with osteoporosis in the National Health Insurance database

74

0.6

Alendronate

Inpatient or outpatient ICD-9 codes

821

DM, CAD, COPD, history of AF, HTN, and total defined daily dose of drugs

3/2/2

* only in BIS users, ^§ Methodologic quality assessment score based on Newcastle-Ottawa Scale [23]; selection (0 to 4), comparability (0 to 2), and outcome score (0 to 3) points with a higher score representing a better quality.

AF, atrial fibrillation; BIS, bisphosphonates; CAD, coronary artery disease; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DM, diabetes mellitus; EKG, electrocardiogram; HF, heart failure; HTN, hypertension; ICD, International Classification of Diseases.

Kim et al. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2010 12:R30   doi:10.1186/ar2938