BONE-MINERAL DENSITY IN PATIENTS TAKING H-2-RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST

Osteoporosis after,gastrectomy is a common clinical disorder. In gastr ectomized patients, decreased gastric acidity may be associated with i mpaired calcium absorption. This study was undertaken to determine whe ther patients with chronic use of H-2-receptor antagonists (HRA) had d emonstrable decreases in bone mineral density (BMD). Thirty-three pati ents taking cimetidine, ranitidine, or famotidine for more than 2 year s were analyzed. We measured BMD of L2-L4 using dual energy X-ray abso rptiometry (DXA). Osteoporosis (BMD less than 0.70 g/cm(2)) was found only in three patients (9%). As compared with healthy controls, age-an d sex-matched BMD ranged from 74.4% to 132.9%, with a mean of 97.0%, a nd was not influenced by the period of HRA use (<5 years versus >5 yea rs or more). Although the age-and sex-matched BMD was different among the kinds of HRA (98.6% for cimetidine, 101.3% for ranitidine, and 85. 5% for famotidine), the relationship between the BMD and type of drug was not significant by multivariate analysis. These results indicate t hat chronic use of HRA has little influence on the degree of BMD, and suggest that decreased gastric acidity is not always associated with o steoporosis after gastrectomy.