Media Release
From: American College of PhysiciansMultivitamins and calcium supplements among most difficult pills for seniors to swallow
Most reports of swallowing complications from dietary supplements involve seniors (adults 65 and older) taking multivitamins or calcium supplements. Older adults have higher rates of dysphagia and other swallowing issues than younger persons, and also make up a large proportion of people taking multivitamins and calcium supplements. Findings from a brief research report are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed the FDA CAERS (Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Adverse Reporting System) database to identify and characterize dietary supplement-associated swallowing problems in relations to pill size. They found that of 20,791 adverse event reports submitted to CAERS regarding dietary supplements, nearly one-fifth (19.1 percent) indicated swallowing problems. The reports mostly involved females. Of the 64.5 percent of swallowing problem reports that included age data, 76.8 percent involved adults aged 65 years or older. Choking was the most frequently reported problem, followed by foreign body trauma. More than 14 percent of swallowing problem reports cited serious adverse events, including three deaths. According to the researchers, swallowing problems could be reduced by modifying dosage form characteristics and/or by educating patients about how to address swallowing issues.
