Should a diabetic with tight sugar control drive?

New Delhi: Saturday, 29 December 2012: Worldwide, diabetics are required to produce proof of good blood sugar control to keep their driving license. A study by Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto has shown that diabetics, who keep their blood sugar tightly controlled run the risk of having traffic accidents due to low blood sugar, said Padma Shri & Dr. B.C. Roy National Awardee, Dr. KK Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India.

The risk was substantial, accounting for almost 50 percent of the accidents. The accidents were mostly related to severe hypoglycemia in association with strict blood sugar control. The findings were published online in PLoS Medicine. For the study, Redelmeier's team collected data on 795 diabetic drivers. They found that one in 14 of the drivers had been involved in car accidents. Those with low blood sugar were more likely to have had an accident than were diabetics whose blood sugar was not as well controlled. Moreover, the risk for having a car accident increased fourfold if the person had a history of hypoglycemia.

Diabetics should not to drive if they feel dizzy or have other symptoms of hypoglycemia. If some one has had a hypoglycemic episode the previous day, he or she should not drive the car next day.

Patients with diabetes should drive only if diabetes is under control and there is no evidence of end organ disease.

About HCFI : The only  National  Not for profit NGO, on whose mega community health education events, Govt. of India has released two National commemorative stamps and one cancellation stamp, and who has conducted one to one training on” Hands only CPR” of 22624 people since 1^st  November 2012.

The CPR 10 Mantra is – “within 10 minutes of death, earlier the better; at least for the next 10minutes, longer the better; compress the centre of the chest of the dead person continuously and effectively with a speed of 10x10 i.e. 100 per minute.”