|
 
Lymphoma: Risk Factors Non–Hodgkin’s Lymphoma - Increasing age. Although the disease occurs in all age groups, incidence rises dramatically after age 50.
- Family history. Individuals with one or more affected first–degree relatives have twice the usual risk.
- Exposure history. Herbicides and other organic chemicals have been linked to an increased risk.
- Immunodeficiency disorders. These include immune deficiency states, chronic immunosuppression, and auto–immune diseases.
- Infectious agents. Viral (eg, HIV, Epstein–Barr virus, human T–cell lymphotropic virus type I, human herpes virus type 8) and bacterial (H pylori) infections have been associated with an increased risk of specific types of lymphoma.
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma - Age. There is a bimodal age distribution with peak incidence in young adults (ages 15–35) and in individuals older than 50.
- Male gender. The condition is more prevalent in males, especially in children and younger adults.
- Geography. Incidence increases in areas with high industrial development.
- Genetics. There is nearly a 100–fold increased risk in monozygotic twins and, at least among young patients, a 7–fold increased risk among siblings of Hodgkin’s disease patients. Although associations between certain HLA haplotypes and risk of Hodgkin’s disease have been identified, it remains unclear whether the increased familial risk is due to a genetic susceptibility or common environmental exposures.
- Infectious agents. Several associations have suggested a link between Epstein–Barr virus and Hodgkin’s disease. Other infectious etiologies may play a role.
- Breast–feeding. In several studies, breast–feeding has been associated with reduced risk of Hodgkin’s disease.
|
