Women who take the drug Fosamax for osteoporosis may be at an increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat, a US study suggests.
Researchers have linked the drug - widely prescribed in the UK to stop bone-thinning in older women - to a condition known as atrial fibrillation.
This is not necessarily serious, but can in some cases lead to a stroke.
But the Archives of Internal Medicine study concluded for most women the drug's benefits outweighed the risks.
It is not the first research to examine a link between Merck's Fosamax - whose generic name is alendronate - and atrial fibrillation, but its suggestion that the drug may increase the risk by 86% is higher than previous findings - although it is a smaller study.
In the UK, about one in 200 people aged 50-60 have atrial fibrillation, and the risk increases to about one in ten people by the age of 90.
In many cases it has no symptoms, but it can make the blood clot - which can in turn cause an embolic stroke.
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