Older adults who use painkillers may have an increased risk of experiencing an irregular heartbeat, a new study has found.

An irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, has been linked to heart failure, stroke and a lower life expectancy.

Dutch scientists looked at almost 8,500 adults aged 55 and older, whose health had been monitored for an average of nearly 13 years. They assessed the participants' use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - a large group of drugs used for pain relief, including ibuprofen and aspirin.

The study found that older adults who were currently using NSAIDs had a 76% increased risk of experiencing atrial fibrillation compared to those who never used these drugs.

Furthermore, people who had recently used them - within the last month - had an 84% increased risk of atrial fibrillation.

The researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam said that it was unclear why NSAIDs appeared to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, but suggested that use of these drugs may indicate underlying inflammation, which could increase the risk.

"The underlying mechanism behind this association deserves further attention," they insisted.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, BMJ Open.