Impaired Awareness of Hypoglycemia and Driving Mishaps in Patients
With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Multi-Center Survey in Japan
Impaired Awareness of Hypoglycemia is a common and serious problem in adult patients
with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Driving accidents related to hypoglycemia have
been previously described.
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of driving mishaps and confirm
the association between IAH and such mishaps among Japanese patients’ with T1DM.
Clinical data, such as the prevalence of hypoglycemia, IAH, and patients’ behaviors to avoid driving
accidents, were surveyed in 133 adult drivers with T1DM at 16 hospitals and clinics in Japan.
A stepwise logistic regression analysis found that the presence of IAH was significantly risk factor
for hypoglycemia-related driving mishaps, along with age. Driving mishaps may be prevalent in
Japanese patients with T1DM. IAH should be considered as a high risk factor for
driving mishaps in this population.
A driver’s license is essential for performing various functions in daily life, including access
to medical services, in individuals with Diabetes Mellitus. Traffic accidents are associated
with the risk of mortality, The number of deaths caused by traffic accidents in Japan was 4,863
in 2010, and the Japanese government has set a goal to reduce the annual fatality
count to less than 2,500 by 2018.
Several studies have reported that drivers with T1DM have an increased risk of driving
accidents, with a relative risk ratio of up to 2,5,6,7 although another
study did not support this.
The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the prevalence of hypoglycemia-related
driving mishaps and confirm the association between IAH and driving mishaps among Japanese patients with T1DM.
Diabetes Res Open J. 2014; 1(1): 1-4. doi: 10.17140/DROJ-1-101