Hodgkin lymphoma causes

Risk factors are anything that increases your risk of getting a disease. Having risk factors does not mean you will get Hodgkin lymphoma. Hodgkin lymphoma is rare, and most people do not develop it, even if they have multiple risk factors.

You can’t catch lymphoma or pass it on to someone else.

Hodgkin lymphoma can happen at any age, but it’s most common in young adults and people over 75. In the UK, Hodgkin lymphoma affects slightly more males than females.

Hodgkin lymphoma can affect people of any ethnicity, but it’s slightly more common in people from Black and Asian backgrounds, than people from other backgrounds.

If you have a close relative (such as a parent, sister or brother) with Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia you are more likely to develop Hodgkin lymphoma. But even if you have a family history, the risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma is still very small.

You’re more likely to get Hodgkin lymphoma if you have problems with your immune system because of some other health conditions (for example HIV or rheumatoid arthritis), or because you’ve had an organ transplant and are taking drugs to stop the new organ being rejected.

This is the virus that causes glandular fever, and people who’ve been exposed to it have a higher risk of getting Hodgkin lymphoma. It’s thought that the Epstein-barr virus may cause around 4 in every 10 cases of Hodgkin lymphoma, but we don’t know why this happens.

As Hodgkin lymphoma is rare, your risk of getting it is very low even if you’ve had glandular fever.

Some research suggests that smoking increases the risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma.