Citation

Anjemark L, Selander H, Persson HC. Eur. J. Neurol. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, European Federation of Neurological Societies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/ene.15755

PMID

36809568

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) can impair driving. However, we lack evidence of car accidents associated with these diseases. The aim was to examine what types of car accidents were associated with drivers with PD and MS, compared to individuals with ulcerative colitis (UC, the comparison group). A second aim was to evaluate the occurrence of car accident in relation to years since diagnosis.

METHODS: This retrospective national wide, registry-based study included drivers involved in car accidents from 2010-2019, based on the Swedish Traffic Accident Data Acquisition database. Data on pre-existing diagnoses were retrieved retrospectively from the National Patient Registry. Data analyses included group comparisons, time-to-event analysis, and binary logistic regression.

RESULTS: In total, 1491 drivers, including 199 with PD, 385 with MS; and 907 with UC, were registered to have been involved in a car accident. The mean time in years, from diagnosis to the car accident were 5.6 for PD, 8.0 for MS, and 9.4 years for UC. Time to car accident since diagnose, differed significantly (p <0.001) between groups (adjusted for age). Drivers with PD had over twice the odds of a single-car accident than drivers with MS or UC, but no differences were seen between MS and UC.

CONCLUSIONS: Drivers with PD were older and experienced the car accidents within shorter time after the diagnosis. Although several factors may cause a car accident, fitness to drive may be more thoroughly evaluated for patients with PD by physicians, even early after the diagnosis.

Language: en

Keywords

Accidents, Traffic; Automobile Driving; Multiple Sclerosis; Parkinson's disease