License to drive vehicles: Legal aspects and clinical variables in Brazilian patients with epilepsy.

In epilepsy, there may be impairment of psychosocial aspects, including restrictions for the license to drive vehicles.

Objective: To evaluate the license to drive a vehicle in patients with epilepsy according to Brazilian legislation and to relate it to demographic and clinical variables.

Methodology: The license-to-drive vehicle rate was related to the demographic and clinical data of 305 patients with epilepsy.

Results: The mean age was 49.2 years, with 176 females, the mean education was six years, and structural epilepsy occurred in 203 patients. The license to drive vehicles occurred in 35 (11.5 %) patients. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, with stepwise variable selection criteria, it was observed that the variables that together best predict the possession of a driving license are education (p-value = 0.012; OR = 1.15 (1.03, 1.29)), sex (p-value = 0.001; OR = 4.05 (1.80, 9.68)), marital status (p-value = 0.022; OR = 2.67 (1.18, 6.41)), neurological examination (p-value = 0.029; OR = 3.62 (1.25, 13.22)) and number of antiseizure medication (ASM) in use (p-value = 0.019; OR = 3.04 (1.26, 8.28)). The license did not comply with Brazilian legislation in 21 (60 %) patients. In nine patients, the practice violated the law due to the type of vehicle, and in 12 patients, due to the maintenance of seizures in the last year. Patients with non-legal aspects of the license were older, had less education, were male, and had a spouse.

Conclusion: In patients with epilepsy, the rate of license to drive vehicles was low, and it was associated with higher schooling, males, having a spouse, having no alterations in the neurological examination, and the use of a single ASM. The non-compliance with current legislation was high, suggesting a lack of information or denial of the disease.