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Stress on Regulations for Drivers with Epilepsy

DUBAI — Health experts have called for driving regulations for people suffering from epilepsy, a condition they say is stigmatised and under reported in the region.

During a recently held international conference which also saw the launch of the regional epilepsy report, experts said driving regulations were the need of the hour for epileptic patients, including for taxi drivers.

Internationally, patients with uncontrolled seizures are legally restricted from driving, said Dr Abdulaziz Al Semari from Saudi Arabia who presented a paper on ‘Do we need driving regulations for patients in the Eastern Mediterranean?’.

“Epileptic patients are prone to palpitations and have an aura of fear,” said the doctor. “They may have sudden incapacity that could lead to a fatal crash. Therefore, they are at a higher risk for traffic accidents.”

However, Dr Al Semari stressed that epilepsy was similar to other neurological diseases and should not be stigmatised.

Though the UAE driving laws, at present, do not give any guidelines to epileptic drivers, the Roads and Transport Authority said that they are in the process of formulating policies.

A study carried out in the country in 1996 emphasised that patients should feel obliged to inform the traffic or health authorities about their condition.

The only other study currently underway at the Neurology Department at Rashid Hospital works at gathering statistics on the situation amongst UAE nationals based on age, gender and age of onset attacks.

Dr Al Semari said despite such regulations, statistics suggest that one third of epileptic patients with uncontrolled seizures continue to drive.

He also said in most cases doctors are indemnified from reporting patients to the driving authorities. “Despite doctors endorsing the need to report the cases, only a few do it because they are sympathetic towards patients,” he added.

Patients on the other hand may not report because may they lose the privilege to drive, he said. “A survey says that 90 per cent of patients do not report their condition so as to retain their licences,” he said.

“Reporting by physicians depends on the law while assessment should be done by community physicians,” said Dr Al Semari.

The decision to report should be taken by the traffic department and an interval between attacks should be clearly stated as a requirement, he said.

“Some countries require a patient to be free from attacks 24 months before being issued a driving licence. In Saudi Arabia, the requirement is 12 months,” said Dr Al Semari.

He said other neurological defects such as impaired cognition and visual problems should also be reported by physicians.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com