Hypoglycemia in Patient with Diabetes Mellitus and Road Traffic Accident
Keywords:
Traffic accidents, Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, Low blood sugar levels, Risk of traffic accidentsAbstract
Background: Traffic accidents are a significant cause of fatalities among the Thai population. Upon reviewing the literature, it is evident that the majority of traffic accidents are primarily attributed to the drivers themselves, with the lack of physical readiness of the drivers being a key internal factor. Specifically, diabetes is strongly associated with an increased risk of traffic accidents, with a 1.2-1.6 times higher risk compared to non-diabetic individuals. Hypoglycemia, a common complication of diabetes, further elevate the risk of traffic accidents by up to four times that of individuals without diabetes.
Objective: The objective of this research is to study the relationship between hypoglycemia in diabetic patients and the occurrence of traffic accidents, with the aim of developing appropriate preventive measures for the future.
Materials and Methods: The study method is in the form of a retrospective cohort. Data is collected retrospectively from the medical records of diabetes patients at Wachira Phuket Hospital, from May 2021 to May 2022. The participants are divided into two groups, those with hypoglycemia and those who have never had hypoglycemia. Subsequently, the relationship between the occurrence of traffic accidents in both groups is compared using Chi-square statistics for data analysis.
Results: Analyzing data from the entire sample of 140 participants, including 89 males and 51 females, with an average age of 44.83 years and an average body mass index of 24.26 kg/m², excluding insulin users and patients with other chronic conditions, the research found a significant relationship between diabetes patients with a history of low blood sugar levels and a higher risk of traffic accidents (RR = 1.36, 95% Conf. interval = 1.06 – 1.74, P-value = 0.01).
Conclusion: Hypoglycemia in diabetic patients increase the risk of traffic accidents and should be screened for in diabetic patients before regular vehicle driving.
References
ธนะพงศ์ จินวงษ์. อุบัติเหตุ ทาง ถนน “ภัย เงียบ” ที่ ยัง อันตราย และ ท้าทาย การ จัดการ. วารสาร การแพทย์ฉุกเฉินแห่งประเทศไทย 2564; 1(1): 71-6.
Chen S, Zhang S, Xing Y, Lu J. Identifying the factors contributing to the severity of truck-involved crashes in Shanghai River-Crossing Tunnel. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2020;17(9):3155-70.
Laberge-Nadeau C, Dionne G, Ekoé JM, Hamet P, Desjardins DE, Messier S, et al. Impact of diabetes on crash risks of truck-permit holders and commercial drivers. Diabetes Care 2000; 23(5): 612-7.
Lococo KH, Staplin L, Schultz MW, TransAnalytics LL. The effects of medical conditions on driving performance, A literature review and synthesis. Final report ed. Washington: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; 2018.
Litwak L, Goh SY, Hussein Z, Malek R, Prusty V, Khamseh ME. Prevalence of diabetes complications in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its association with baseline characteristics in the multinational A1chieve study. Diabetol Metab Syndr 2013;5(1):57.
Kalra S, Mukherjee JJ, Venkataraman S, Bantwal G, Shaikh S, Saboo B, et al. Hypoglycemia: The neglected complication. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism 2013;17(5):819-30.
Jenkins N. Fit to drive?. Occupational Health & Wellbeing 2020;72(4):13-5.
Redelmeier DA, Kenshole AB, Ray JG. Motor vehicle crashes in diabetic patients with tight glycemic control: a population-based case control analysis. PLoS medicine 2009;6(12):e1000192.
Petrosyan L, Ghazaryan Z, Muradyan G, Aghajanova E, Brabece M, Žďárská DJ, et al. Limited knowledge of safe driving practice among drivers with diabetes in Armenia: association with greater risk of motor vehicle accidents. Journal of Diabetes Mellitus 2019;9(01):14-23.
Merickel J, High R, Smith L, Wichman C, Frankel E, Smits K, et al. At-risk driving behavior in drivers with diabetes: A neuroergonomics approach. InProceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 2017; 61(1): 1881-5.
Cox DJ, Penberthy JK, Zrebiec J, Weinger K, Aikens JE, Frier B, et al. Diabetes and driving mishaps: frequency and correlations from a multinational survey. Diabetes care 2003;26(8):2329-34.
Plows JF, Stanley JL, Baker PN, Reynolds CM, Vickers MH. The pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus. International journal of molecular sciences 2018;19(11):3342.
Hutchinson MS, Joakimsen RM, Njølstad I, Schirmer H, Figenschau Y, Svartberg J, et al. Effects of Age and Sex on Estimated Diabetes Prevalence Using Different Diagnostic Criteria: The Tromsø OGTT Study. Int J Endocrinol 2013;2013:613475.
Saunders AL, Bodine C, Snell-Bergeon J, Forlenza GP, Shah VN. Higher Prevalence of Hypoglycemia and Unsafe Driving Practices in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2023;46(4):e92-3.
Ahmed FW, Majeed MS, Kirresh O. Non-diabetic hypoglycemia [internet]. 2023 [2023 July 17]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573079
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
เนื้อหาและข้อมูลในบทความที่ลงตีพิมพ์ในมหาราชนครศรีธรรมราชเวชสาร ถือเป็นข้อคิดเห็นและความรับผิดชอบของผู้เขียนบทความโดยตรงซึ่งกองบรรณาธิการวารสาร ไม่จำเป็นต้องเห็นด้วย หรือร่วมรับผิดชอบใด ๆ
บทความ ข้อมูล เนื้อหา รูปภาพ ฯลฯ ที่ได้รับการตีพิมพ์ในมหาราชนครศรีธรรมราชเวชสาร ถือเป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของมหาราชนครศรีธรรมราชเวชสาร หากบุคคลหรือหน่วยงานใดต้องการนำทั้งหมดหรือส่วนหนึ่งส่วนใดไปเผยแพร่ต่อหรือเพื่อกระทำการใด จะต้องได้รับอนุญาตเป็นลายลักษณ์อักษรจากวารสารมหาราชนครศรีธรรมราชเวชสาร ก่อนเท่านั้น