People suffering from various types of cardiovascular disease are subject to a certain accident risk when driving a vehicle on the road.
High blood pressure, coronary heart disease and cardiac insufficiency might be grounds for a (temporary) driving ban.
Numerous diseases are capable of causing traffic accidents and therefore impact personal and public safety.
In a new study from MedUni Vienna, researchers summarized the relevant diseases, thereby providing an overview for those affected and their doctors. Palpitations and dizziness can also occur in those recovering from COVID-19.
Although only between 1% and 5% of sudden cardiac deaths occur while people are driving, even a brief black-out at the wheel can have fatal consequences.
People with heart disease are not necessarily unfit to drive. However, they should be notified whether their health condition currently allows them to drive a vehicle.
Patients are advised by their doctors whether they are fit to drive.
For example, someone with high blood pressure in excess of 180/110 mmHg should not drive a vehicle and a four-week driving ban is imposed on professional drivers after a cardiac catheter examination with stent implantation.
Drivers have to be aware that, if they are spotted behind the wheel after having received a documented warning, their insurance would be invalid in the event of an accident.
In any case, the burden of proof lies with the driver, since avoiding going to a doctor does not give carte blanche to carry on driving.
The new paper relates to specific cardiovascular diseases, in which the patient is either temporarily or permanently unfit to drive: e.g. after implantation of a defibrillator (ICD), replacement of a device or after the ICD has triggered a shock.
The spectrum of mapped diseases comprises all cardiac arrhythmias, seizure-like blackouts (syncope episodes), coronary heart disease, cardiac insufficiency, and hypertension.
The team says it is very beneficial for all concerned to record fitness to drive and/or waiting times in the doctor’s letter.
In this context, post-COVID patients represent the new territory. Palpitations and dizziness can also occur in those recovering from COVID-19, and it will be necessary to introduce regulations about fitness to drive for post-COVID patients as well.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about drinking this beverage too much may lead to heart failure and findings of mild COVID-19 infection very unlikely to cause long-term heart damage.
For more information about heart disease, please see recent studies about one cup of these vegetables a day can lower heart disease risk and results showing that this depression drug could also prevent heart disease.
The study is published in Current Problems in Cardiology. One author of the study is cardiologist Thomas Pezawas.
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