Who is at risk from Hodgkins disease?
At this time, the cause or causes of Hodgkin’s disease are not known, and doctors can seldom explain why one person gets this disease and another does not. By studying patterns of cancer in the population, researchers have found certain risk factors that are more common in people who get Hodgkin’s disease than in those who do not. However, most people with these risk factors do not get Hodgkin’s disease, and many who do get this disease have none of the known risk factors. The following are some of the risk factors associated with this disease: • Age/sex. Hodgkin’s disease occurs most often in people between 15 and 34 and in people over the age of 55. It is more common in men than in women. • Family history. Brothers and sisters of those with Hodgkin’s disease have a higher-than-average chance of developing this disease. • Viruses. Epstein-Barr virus is an infectious agent that may be associated with an increased chance of getting Hodgkin’s disease. People who are concerned about the c
