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Motor vehicle crashes in dementia of the alzheimer type
Author(s) -
Friedland Robert P.,
Koss Elisabeth,
Kumar Anand,
Gaine Sean,
Metzler Diane,
Haxby James V.,
Moore Angela
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410240613
Subject(s) - dementia , crash , medicine , odds ratio , poison control , alzheimer's disease , injury prevention , motor vehicle crash , disease , psychology , medical emergency , computer science , programming language
To assess the occurrence and related features of motor vehicle crashes in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) we studied 30 patients who had been followed longitudinally and 20 healthy age‐matched control subjects. Data were gathered from first‐degree relatives who had lived with the subjects for the previous 5 years or more. Fortyseven percent of the DAT patients incurred at least one crash while they were driving, whereas only 10% of the control subjects had had a crash in the previous 5 years. The odds ratio for crashes in the DAT group was 7.9 ( p < 0.01). Moreover, in 77% of DAT patients, a deterioration in driving performance was noted, and 63% of the patients had stopped driving. However, only 42% of the DAT patients who stopped driving did so before a crash occurred. Mean illness duration was 4.0 (± 1.8) years, and the mean Mini‐Mental Status Examination score was 19.9 (± 6.3) at the time of the first crash in the DAT group. The occurrence of crashes was not significantly correlated with dementia severity or with disease duration. These data suggest that the occurrence of driving crashes in patients with DAT is an important public health problem.