One man's view of Hodgkin's disease.
Despite its many heterogeneous features, Hodgkin's disease is most likely a single neoplastic disorder in which some common viral agent of low virulence and infectivity might be of etiologic importance. Family factors such as birth order influence age of initial exposure, a major determinant of the outcome of infection - clinical disease versus immunity. The various epidemiologic patterns for this lymphoma observed internationally are probably a reflection of different levels of natural immunity acquired in childhood. Host factors might be responsible for the male excess of Hodgkin's disease, particularly in childhood.
D000367:Age Factors; D001722:Birth Order; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D008297:Male