The Alzheimer’s disease, it is a real scourge. In France, there are 850,000 patients (i.e. the equivalent of the city of Marseille) and 3 million people concerned – relatives, entourage, caregivers… In 2020, the France Alzheimer association even estimates that 1 more French 65 out of 4 will be affected by this neurodegenerative pathology, i.e. 1,275,000 patients.
Researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital (in Canada) asked themselves a question of public utility: can we still conduct when you have Alzheimer’s disease? To find out more, they compiled the results of 32 international studies: cognitive tests, as well as road and car simulator tests conducted with patients with the disease.
The risk of an accident would be multiplied by 10
Verdict? Patients who have not passed stage 3 of the disease (which corresponds to a “cognitive decline mild”) had failure rates of about 13% in driving tests, compared to an average of 1.3% for healthy subjects.
On the other hand, 46% of patients (regardless of the stage of the disease) passed the test. “We estimate that Alzheimer’s disease multiplies by 10 the risk of having a road accident“explain the researchers, who published their work in the scientific journal Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
“The act of driving mobilizes certain areas of the brain related to attention, cognitive abilities and location in space. If one of these functions is damaged, the driver (and his passengers!) are no longer in security” they add.
However, “giving up driving is often experienced as a very significant loss. Be understanding during this difficult period, because the former driver may find himself depressed, but also feel furious” advises the France Alzheimer association. And to add: “The impact of the disease on the ability to drive must be mentioned in the various medical consultations and the update on this subject must be made regularly with the sick person.”
