What are the risk factors for Hodgkin disease? We do not yet
know exactly what causes Hodgkin disease, but we do know that
certain risk factors are linked to the disease. A risk factor is
something that affects a person’s chance of getting a disease
such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors.
Some risk factors, such as smoking and spending too much time in
the sun, can be changed. Others, like a person’s age or family
history, can’t be changed. But risk factors don’t tell us
everything. Having a risk factor, or even several, doesn’t mean
that a person will get the disease. Likewise, having few or no
risk factors doesn’t mean a person won’t get the disease.
Scientists have found a few risk factors that may make a person
more likely to get Hodgkin disease, although it’s not always
clear why these factors increase risk. Risk factors for Hodgkin
disease Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection/mononucleosis: There
is a slightly higher risk of Hodgkin disease in people who have
had “mono” (infectious