Incidence and causes of lower-limb amputations in the city of Ribeirão Preto from 1985 to 2008: evaluation of the medical records from 3,274 cases.

Objective: It was to identify trends of traumatic and non-traumatic causes of lower limb amputations, as well as the role played by population aging, traffic violence increase, public health policy of diabetes control program and drivers anti-alcohol laws on these amputations.

Method: Hospitalization data recorded in the discharge forms of 32 hospitals located in the region of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, from 1985 to 2008 were analyzed.

Result: A total of 3,274 lower-limb amputations were analyzed, of which 95.