Citation

Mcnicholas WT. Sleep Med. Clin. 2019; 14(4): 491-498.

Affiliation

Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, St. Vincent's Hospital Group, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland; First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: walter.mcnicholas@ucd.ie.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsmc.2019.08.006

PMID

31640877

Abstract

Sleepiness accounts for approximately 20% of major highway motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and the most common medical disorder associated with sleepiness is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA patients are 2 to 3 times more likely to have an MVA than the general population, although continuous positive airway pressure therapy can remove this excess risk. Several jurisdictions have introduced regulations to limit driving in patients with moderate or severe OSA associated with sleepiness until the disorder is effectively treated. Successful implementation of such regulations requires education regarding risk-benefit relationships of relevant stakeholders, including patients, clinicians, and employers in the transportation industry.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Driving regulations; Motor vehicle accidents; Obstructive sleep apnea; Sleepiness