Fibromyalgia appears to double the risk of a serious traffic accident according to new research

A diagnosis of fibromyalgia increases the risk of a serious traffic crash that continues for years after the initial diagnosis, claims a study by researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto, Canada.
Previous research has suggested that fibromyalgia can be a consequence of a past vehicle accident but this is thought to be the first study to look at if fibromyalgia could lead to a future vehicle accident and is published in the Journal of Rheumatology.

The researchers studied 137,631 adults diagnosed with fibromyalgia between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2012 in Ontario. The primary outcome was an emergency department visit as a driver involved in a motor vehicle crash.

Altogether, 738 of the 137,631 people had a serious accident in the first year following diagnosis. The crash rate was more than twice the population norm for both those with a new or a persistent diagnosis. The researchers estimate that the increased absolute risk equates to about a 7% annual chance of a traffic crash of some severity among drivers with fibromyalgia.

“This does not necessarily mean that patients are at-fault for the traffic crash, instead, it might be that fibromyalgia impairs a driver’s ability to avoid a crash caused by someone else,” explains Dr Donald Redelmeier, senior author. “Our study shows that a diagnosis of fibromyalgia identifies individuals at ongoing risk of a serious traffic crash who might benefit from specific medical treatment to mitigate this risk.”

Click here to read the original research.

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Image credit: Mike Knlec