Multivitamins a choking risk for elderly
Nearly 20% of adverse events for dietary supplements related to swallowing problems: FDA
Elderly patients, especially women, may put themselves at risk of choking if they take multivitamins, according to a US study.
After analysing nearly 20,800 adverse event reports to the Food and Drug Administration related to supplements and non-prescription medicines, researchers found swallowing problems made up almost one-fifth of all reports.
The majority (86%) were choking incidents and 77% involved patients over 65.
In results published in a letter in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the FDA researchers also reported:
