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Abstract
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PURPOSE: We investigated the driving rate and the rate of road traffic accidents in patients with functional seizures. We hypothesized that road traffic accidents are common in these patients.
METHODS: In this long-term study, all patients with functional seizures, who were diagnosed at Shiraz Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Iran, from 2008 until 2018, were investigated. In a phone call interview in February 2020, we obtained the following information: seizure outcome, driving a motor vehicle, experiencing any road traffic accidents in the past 12 months, and their drug regimen.
RESULTS: 100 patients participated; 41 patients were driving a motor vehicle in their routine daily lives. Seizure freedom [Odds Ratio (OR): 6.15; 95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 1.95-19.35; p = 0.002] and being employed (OR: 10.66; 95 % CI: 3.03-37.49; p = 0.0001) were significantly associated with driving a motor vehicle. Five patients reported experiencing road traffic accidents while driving a motor vehicle in the past 12 months. All these five patients reported being seizure-free.
CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with functional seizures do not drive a motor vehicle; fear of seizures is a significant determinant. When patients with functional seizures achieve seizure freedom, the rate of driving a motor vehicle increases significantly. The rate of road traffic accidents in patients with functional seizures does not seem to be high.
Copyright © 2020 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Language: en |