Studies also find that 60-75% of individuals diagnosed with PBL have Epstein–Barr virus-infected plasmablasts. EBV infects ~95% of the worlds population to cause no symptoms, minor non-specific symptoms, or infectious mononucleosis. The virus then enters a latency phase in which infected individuals become lifetime asymptomatic carriers of the virus in a set of their B-cells. Some weeks, months, years, or decades thereafter, a very small fraction of these carriers, particularly those with an immunodeficiency, develop any one of various EBV-associated benign or malignant diseases, including, in extremely rare cases, Epstein–Barr virus-positive plasmablastic lymphoma. The virus in infected plasmablastic cells appears to be in its latency I phase; consequently, these infected cells express EBV products such as EBER nuclear RNAs and BART microRNAs. These RNAs promote infected cells to proliferate, avoid attack by the hosts immune systems cytotoxic T-cells, and, possibly, block the infected cells apoptosis (i.e. programmed cell death) response to injuryThe predisposing conditions described in the previous paragraph can serve to enhance the ability of the plasmablasts in PBL to: avoid the hosts immune surveillance; survive for prolonged periods, grow excessively, and acquire pro-malignant gene abnormalities.
Most patients remain euthyroid, but approximately 30% of patients become hypothyroid and very few patients are hyperthyroid. It is most commonly seen in women. Eponym
It is named for Bernhard Riedel. He first recognized the disease In 1883 and  published its description in 1896. References


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