Author(s)

Lilit Petrosyan^1*, Zhanna Ghazaryan², Greta Muradyan³, Elena Aghajanova⁴, Marek Brabece^5,6, Denisa Janíčková Žďárská⁷, Katarina Halčiakova⁷, Jan Polák⁸, Brian M. Frier⁹, Jan Brož⁷

¹N8 Policlinic, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan, Armenia.
²SourbAstvatsamayr” Medical Centers, Yerevan, Armenia.
³Armenian-American Wellness Center, Yerevan, Armenia.
⁴Department of Endocrinology, Yerevan State Medical University, “Muratsan” University Hospital, Yerevan, Armenia.
⁵Institute of Computer Science, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
⁶Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
⁷Department of Internal Medicine, Second Medical Faculty of Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
⁸Department for the Study of Obesity and Diabetes, Third Medical Faculty of Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
⁹British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, University of Edin-burgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Aims: The aims of the study were to assess the degree of knowledge and adherence to the recommended safe practice for driving and the risk of road traffic accidents among people with diabetes mellitus in Armenia. Methods: A total of 628 respondents, including 200 drivers, out of 641 consecutive attendees at six diabetes clinics, participated in the survey. A modified British questionnaire on driving and diabetes was used to obtain the relevant data. The information from all 103 drivers treated with insulin and 73 taking sulfonylureas was reviewed. Results: The study revealed that of 176 insulin and sulfonylurea-treated drivers, 161 (91.5%) had never received any advice about safe driving practices. Among the drivers, 156 (88.6%) never measured their blood glucose before, or during driving. The survey revealed that 86 (51.2%) of 168 patients had a history of at least one motor vehicle accident within the previous 5 years. The average road traffic accident rate per person/year was 0.21. Conclusions: The study revealed a lack of knowledge among drivers with diabetes treated with insulin or sulfonylureas concerning recommended safe practices for driving. This was associated with significant hypoglycemia while driving and an elevated rate of road traffic accidents.

Driving, Hypoglycemia, Road Traffic Accident

Petrosyan, L. , Ghazaryan, Z. , Muradyan, G. , Aghajanova, E. , Brabece, M. , Žďárská, D. , Halčiakova, K. , Polák, J. , M. Frier, B. and Brož, J. (2019) Limited Knowledge of Safe Driving Practice among Drivers with Diabetes in Armenia: Association with Greater Risk of Motor Vehicle Accidents. Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, 9, 14-23. doi: 10.4236/jdm.2019.91002.