I have only seen this occur with weapons, however I think this is because the only items in our hands for extended periods of time are weapons. From what I have seen, I see no reason why this cannot affect all items.
I think this is related to the recently added feature whereupon an item taken into the hands from the iventory is removed from the iventory. (e.g. a pistol taken from the backpack no longer occupying space in the backpack when held in the hands)
In our group of three players, this glitch has occured six times. Once to myself, five times to one player and none to the third.
Possible reports of the same issue (unsure):
http://feedback.dayzgame.com/view.php?id=24965
http://feedback.dayzgame.com/view.php?id=25598
Steam discussion relating to the issue:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/221100/discussions/0/598199244893147519/