Not sure if I had Hepatitis-A

[SLS]

At age 5 we moved to Asmara, Eritrea, Africa (my father was military).  I came down with Hepatitis, but I'm not sure which strain, I'm assuming 'A.'  I'm now 53 and throughout my childhood and as an adult, anytime I became seriously ill I would become jaundiced.  I have been diagnosed as having Osteopenia and from reading different articles/information on the subject of Osteopenia, Hepatitis has been mentioned.  How do I find out what strain of Hepatitis I had?  And does Hepatitis contribute in some way to Osteopenia?

Thank you,

SLS

[Oreos]

Your doctor can order blood tests to determine if you have/had hepatitis and what the type is (A,B,C, etc).  Typically, they test for antibodies first (these are what fight the virus) and if they are present, then further tests for presence of the virus.  I'm not familiar with the other condition you mentioned.

Good luck!

[Showboat]

Good Morning.  I was diagnosed with Osteopenia as well.  It can be caused by chronic liver disease, but there are many other reasons as well.  First, you should get a blood test to see if and what type of Hep you may have.

If you type Osteopenia in the "search" mode, you can get a lot information about it.  My doctor has just put me on Fosamx for bone loss.....statistics show that this will stop the bone loss AND also in many cases rebuild the bone mass.....you take the pill once a week.  My doctor told me that there is something that may be out in a year or two that is a once a year shot for halting/rebuilding bone mass.  I also have a friend on Fosamax and she has had signifcant bone mass regeneration.
Good luck to you.