title: Space-time clustering of Hodgkin's Disease in parts of the UK, 1984-1993.
abstract: The object of this study was to examine cases of Hodgkin's Disease (HD) for evidence of space-time clustering of onsets by age group, sex and disease subtype. Data comprised 2024 cases of HD aged 0-79 years arising throughout the period 1984 to 1993 in the areas covered by a specialist population based register of leukaemias and lymphomas. Knox space-time analysis was used separately for 3 different age groups: childhood (0-14 years), young adult (15-34 years) and older adults (35-79 years); for adult cases separate analysis was carried out by sex and for the nodular and non-nodular sclerosing subtypes. Results showed that space-time clustering of onsets was limited to the nodular sclerosing cases. It was more prominent in young adult nodular sclerosing cases aged 15-34 years (particularly females) diagnosed in the period 1984-88, than in those diagnosed in 1989-93. We conclude that clustering may provide further evidence that an infectious process is involved in the aetiology of young adult nodular sclerosing cases of HD.
authors.affiliation: Leukaemia Research Fund Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, University of Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McNally
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cartwright
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology