Background: Osteopenia and enhanced risk of fractures have been reported after partial gastrectomy, but the significance of total gastrectomy is still unknown.
Methods: Twenty-six patients were followed up for at least 3 years after total gastrectomy. The intake and S-levels of vitamin D, phosphate, magnesium, and calcium were prospectively studied, and a whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan was performed at a mean of 5 years after gastrectomy.
Results: At this time point we found normal blood levels of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphate. Food intakes of phosphate, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D reached the recommended daily allowances. Bone mineral density was similar to that of a control population, and increasing values were seen concomitant with an increase in body weight with the time after gastrectomy.
Conclusions: Calcium homeostasis and bone mineral densities seem not to be affected by total gastrectomy, at least when studied over a period of 5 years, an observation that hypothetically can be explained by weight recovery with time after the operation.