Research
Adherence
Micronutrient supplements (specifically multivitamins, iron, calcium, and potassium) are a leading cause of emergency department visits due to swallowing problems (choking/dysphagia) in adults aged 65 and older.
If you are over 65, be cautious with large micronutrient pills (like calcium or iron) as they can cause choking or swallowing difficulties. Look for smaller pills or alternative forms like liquids or powders. Take pills one at a time with adequate water.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Among adults aged ≥65 years, choking or pill-induced dysphagia/globus caused 37.6% (CI, 29.1%−46.2%) of all emergency department visits for supplement adverse events; micronutrients were implicated in 83.1% (CI, 73.3%−92.9%) of these visits.
Why this rating
Robust surveillance data, though specific pill size data is inferred from product availability rather than direct measurement of the ingested pill in every case.
Source
Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Events Related to Dietary Supplements
Andrew I. Geller et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2015
DOI 10.1056/nejmsa1504267
cross_sectional · n=3667Cited 490×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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