Study: Older men on e-bikes more often suffer severe injuries

More and more people are out and about on the roads with e-bikes; consequently, accidents are increasing. Older men are at a particularly high risk of very severe injuries, as doctors at the Klinikum der Technischen Universität München (TUM Klinikum) found. They had investigated accidents involving e-bikes and identified clear patterns in the risk factors.

Michael Zyskowski, senior physician in trauma surgery at TUM, and his team examined the accidents of 103 e-bike riders in road traffic who were treated in trauma surgery between 2017 and 2023.

Over a third of them had to be admitted to the hospital. Eleven people, about ten percent, ended up in intensive care, almost all with severe head injuries. The average age of these intensive care patients, who were almost exclusively men, was 77 years. None of them had worn a helmet. The study was published in the journal Injury.

Wear a helmet!

“My appeal to e-bike riders of all ages is: definitely wear a helmet – that is the simplest and most effective protective measure,” said Zyskowski. “Helmets would probably have prevented most severe head injuries and the associated intensive care treatments.”

All the approximately one hundred affected individuals tended to be out for errands or other everyday trips, Zyskowski added. “But that is also due to our location in Munich's city center. Hospitals closer to mountain bike routes in the Alps will probably have different observations.”

A cascade of problems in the elderly

When cycling becomes more strenuous, bikes with electric auxiliary motors open up new possibilities. “Especially with heart and circulatory problems, e-bikes help those impacted to move a lot in everyday life despite their limitations,” said Zyskowski. However, the motor support can lead to a rider not noticing how strenuous a ride is, or that, for example, blood sugar levels drop. Then the weight of the bikes can become a negative factor. At around 20 kg, they are heavier to control than conventional bicycles.

“We often deal with a consequential cascade,” Zyskowski further explains. “If e-bike riders do not wear a helmet and also cannot support themselves when falling, head injuries become more likely. Many older people regularly take blood thinners due to cardiovascular diseases. Unfortunately, these can lead to particularly severe bleeding in case of injuries.” Almost half of the intensive care patients in the study had taken blood thinners.

The doctors also pointed out the significant increase in accident numbers within the study period alone. Almost half of the accidents occurred in 2023 alone – an increase of one and a half times compared to the previous year. “This trend continues in our perception,” says Zyskowski. Especially over the Easter holidays, many people might head out onto the roads if the weather is good – and the doctors might have to deal with them again.

(olb)