What is the possible role of Epstein-Barr virus in Hodgkin’s disease?
The association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Hodgkin’s disease is well established. EBV is a herpes virus and has a widespread distribution throughout the world with more than 80 percent of healthy adults infected by the third decade of life. Primary infection is usually asymptomatic but when infection is delayed until adolescence, as is frequent in developed countries, EBV causes infectious mononucleosis in about 50 percent of cases. 17. Why is infectious mononucleosis important as it relates to Hodgkin’s disease? Several studies have shown an association between Hodgkin’s disease and a prior diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis. This association appears primarily among young adult patients (all MDPH interview participants were young adults when diagnosed). A recent study found a three-fold increased risk of Hodgkin’s disease in young adults with a prior diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis. 18. What did the biological tissue analyses of the MDPH participants show? The resul
