Hodgkin lymphoma – Causes - NHS

Hodgkin lymphoma is caused by a change (mutation) in the DNA of a type of white blood cell called B lymphocytes. The exact reason why this happens isn't ... Skiptomaincontent Home HealthAtoZ Hodgkinlymphoma Backto Hodgkinlymphoma Causes - Hodgkinlymphoma Contents Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Complications Hodgkinlymphomaiscausedbyachange(mutation)intheDNAofatypeofwhitebloodcellcalled Blymphocytes.Theexactreasonwhythishappensisn'tknown.TheDNAgivesthecellsabasicsetofinstructions,suchaswhentogrowandreproduce.ThemutationintheDNAchangestheseinstructionssothecellskeepgrowing,causingthemtomultiplyuncontrollably.Theabnormallymphocytesusuallybegintomultiplyinoneormorelymphnodesinaparticularareaofthebody,suchasyourneckorgroin.Overtime,it'spossiblefortheabnormallymphocytestospreadintootherpartsofyourbody,suchasyour:bonemarrowspleenliverskinlungs Who'smostatrisk? Whilethe causeoftheinitialmutationthattriggersHodgkinlymphomaisunknown,anumberoffactorscanincreaseyourriskofdevelopingthecondition.Theseinclude:ageandgender–anyonecangetHodgkinlymphomabutit'smorecommoninpeopleaged20to40orover75;italsoaffectsslightlymorementhanwomenhavingamedicalconditionthatweakensyourimmunesystem,suchasHIVhavingmedicaltreatmentthatweakensyourimmunesystem–forexample,takingmedicinetosuppressyourimmunesystemafteranorgantransplantbeingpreviouslyexposedtotheEpstein-Barrvirus(EBV)– acommonvirusthatcausesglandularfeverhavingpreviouslyhad non-Hodgkinlymphoma,possiblybecauseoftreatmentwith chemotherapy orradiotherapybeingveryoverweight(obese) – thismaybemoreofariskfactorinwomenthanmensmokingHodgkinlymphomaisn'tinfectiousand isn'tthoughtto runinfamilies.Althoughyour riskis increasedifafirst-degreerelative(parent,siblingorchild)hashadlymphoma,it'snotclearifthisisbecauseofaninheritedgeneticfault or lifestylefactors. Pagelastreviewed:22November2021 Nextreviewdue:22November2024 Previous : Symptoms Next : Diagnosis