Driving accident frequency increased in patients with multiple sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the influence of multiple sclerosis (MS) on the ability to drive safely.


METHODS
A 10-year historical cohort register-study on 197 patients with MS and 545 controls individually matched on age, gender, place of residence, and exposure period. Persons with other neurological diseases, diabetes or abuse were excluded. The outcome measure was treatment at the emergency department after accident as a car driver.


RESULTS
Five patients and four controls had been treated, the rate per 1000 person-years with exposure being 3.4 times higher (CI 0.73-17.15) in the patients than in the control cohort. The difference is significant in one-sided test (P=0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Drivers with MS were treated more often than healthy controls at a casualty department after having a road traffic accident. However, drastic consequences regarding the patients automobile driving should be avoided until these results have been substantiated by further investigations.
Lings
S
S
The Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and The Accident Analysis Group, Odense University Hospital, Denmark. s.lings@ouh.fyns-amt.dk
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001334:Automobile Driving; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors