Surprising threat of swallowing pills —which meds are riskiest

Sometimes it’s hard to go with the flow.

While oral medications are generally considered safer and more convenient than injections or inhalations, sometimes a simple swallow is easier said than done.

Pill-induced esophagitis goes down, literally, when a tablet or capsule gets stuck in the narrowing of the esophagus, particularly where it meets the stomach.

“Although considered uncommon, studies suggest it has an estimated incidence of 3.9 per 100,000 population per year,” Adam Taylor, professor of anatomy at Lancaster University in the UK, wrote last week in The Conversation .

“It may be under-reported because mild cases often resolve without medical attention.”

The esophagus is lined with a special mucosal layer that helps ferry food to the stomach. When a pill dissolves be