Hodgkin’s disease is an uncommon disease, with 7,500 annual cases and only 0.7 percent of all malignancies in the country. At this time, the cause of Hodgkin’s disease is unknown and researchers are trying to solve this problem.
Scientists know Hodgkin’s disease occurs most commonly in people between the ages of 15 and 35, and in individuals over the age of 55. However, they cannot explain why one person gets Hodgkin’s disease and another does not. Past infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is thought to contribute to some cases. Patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are more at risk than the general population.