LAUSR

BACKGROUND Individuals with T1D are exposed to an elevated risk of automobile accidents especially because of hypoglycemia that impairs physiological and defense responses. OBJECTIVES To assess local risk factors for traffic events in T1D adult Brazilian patients. METHODS This is a prospective study and 12-month follow-up to assess predictors for traffic events on a cohort of drivers with type 1 diabetes (n=168) in Brazil. The inclusion criteria for participants were Brazilian nationality, age ≥ 18 years-old, diagnosis of T1D for more than one year, driving license B, C or D categories (four-wheel vehicles), driving three-times per week or more, and checking blood glucose twice-daily or more. The primary outcome was hypoglycemia driving mishaps assessed by a seven-query questionnaire about the past 30 days. Secondary outcomes included driving mishaps not related to hypoglycemia. Statistical analysis was performed through Poisson regression models with robust variance in which the estimated measure of association is the relative risk. RESULTS A total of 109 participants completed 12-month follow-up. Most of them were men (66%), 37 ± 11 years-old, and mean HbA1c 8.2% (66 mmol/mol). The incidence of traffic events was high during one-year follow-up of this cohort (70.6%) but was much less when hypoglycemia was presumably the cause of the reported event (19.3%). The best predictors for new traffic events due to hypoglycemia were those related to driving characteristics. The best of them was a history of episodes of hypoglycemia while driving [RR 3.40 (1.22 - 9.43); p < 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS We found that previous episodes of hypoglycemia while driving significantly increase the risk of new traffic events and are the best predictor for it. This highlights the need to assess the risks of traffic accidents especially in people who have had experienced episodes of hypoglycemia while driving.