Cause of Hodgkins Disease
There is no way of knowing why Hodgkins Disease affects some people and not others. It is more common in men than in women but no one knows exactly why. What doctors do know is that people who have Epstein’s-Barr virus and develop mono have a greater chance of developing Hodgkins Disease. Patients who do have congenital immune deficiencies when they are born and people who have been treated with immunosuppressant drugs after an organ transplant have a chance of developing the disease.
Like other cancers, there is no real reason why some people get it and some don’t. There are other risk factors that are associated with the disease, keep in mind these are risk factors and we are in no way saying who will and will not get this disease. Age and sex are factors, males between the ages of 15 and 34 and over the age of 55 are at a risk. Family history plays an important role. If you have a sibling who has the disease then there is a high chance that you will also get the disease. Viruses, as we mentioned Epstein- Barr virus may be a trigger of the disease as well.
Doctors do know that when lymphocytes reproduce too quickly they become cancerous. When they cells create a large mass of tissue they are called tumors they can either be benign which means not cancerous and malignant which is cancerous. Lymph nodes can be found in the groin, neck, chest, spleen, abdomen, tonsils and bone marrow. They can be found in the stomach, intestines and the skin. Because the lymph nodes can be found all over the body the disease can start anywhere in the body. When cancer gets into the bone marrow the cancer can spread to other lymph nodes. As the cancer spreads it will change the status if the stages of the disease.
There are symptoms to watch out for, there are night sweats, itchy skin, unexplained fevers that happen more often, a painless swelling in the lymph nodes that are in the neck, underarm of groin. If you experience any of these symptoms call your doctor. The key to taking control and getting the help you need is early detection. While Hodgkins disease only makes up one percent of the patients who have cancer, it is a very uncommon form of lymphoma.
Discuss with your doctor the chances of recovery if you are diagnosed as well as the course of treatment that they are going to take. Make sure you understand everything, do some research on your own, you may be able to read and understand it better if you look online for the information.
Symptoms of Hodgkins
What are the Symptoms of Hodgkins Desease?