Question

Hodgkin lymphoma: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors and Treatment

Dr.Deepanjali Adulkar · Accepted Answer

Immune system in the body is also made by a system called the lymphatic system. This system fights with germ near tissue in the body and also it penetrates deep to defend the body. A certain type of cancer called hodgkin lymphoma affects the whole lymphatic system. ;

When hodgkin lymphoma happens to the body the lymphocytes also known as white blood cells increase in number so excessively like a cancer growth. This increase in number causes the lymph nodes to swell all over the body and there are many other growth all over the body due to it.

There are two types of lymphoma called hodgkin lymphoma and non-hodgkin lymphoma. Hodgkin lymphoma is known by another name called hodgkin's disease.

Medical advances in diagnosis and treatment and medicines have helped the people to recover fully from this hodgkin disease. Some who do not recover fully show promising progress.

Symptoms:

There are some signs and symptoms of hodgkin's lymphoma:

There is swelling of the lymph nodes found in the neck, armpits, groin. This swelling is painless.

The body will feel tired all the time.

There will be a fever.

There will be night sweats while sleeping.

There will be weight loss.

There will be itching in the body.

When you drink alcohol, pain starts in the lymph nodes.

When to see a doctor:

When you find any symptoms in the body as given below you must rush to the doctor for this is a very serious disease. The following symptoms are:

There is swelling of the lymph nodes found in the neck, armpits, groin. This swelling is painless.

The body will feel tired all the time.

There will be a fever.

There will be night sweats while sleeping.

There will be weight loss.

There will be itching in the body.

When you drink alcohol, pain starts in the lymph nodes.

Causes:

After much research, researchers and doctors do not know the cause of hodgkin lymphoma. There is only some information like lymphoma begins only when these defense cells, white blood cells develop any change in their dna. This dna tells them to increase their number and cause other problems. It feels like some infection or germs or virus have infected the white blood cell for their control.

The dna contains the instructions for all cells and each cell has their own dna. Infected dna tells the white blood cells to multiply and increase in number as well as to not to die like other normal cells do. As white blood cells are the part of the immune system, it has got a defense from other healthy defensive cells in the body. This defense protects the mutated white blood cells and helps them to grow in number. When there is a high number of cells they crowd at the storage of defense cells that are at lymph nodes and make them swell and behave in healthy ways.

There are many types of hodgkin lymphoma. Each type has its own characteristics because each cell with different mutations gives different behavior. These different types have characteristics that determine the type of treatment should be given.

The most common nowadays is the classical hodgkin's lymphoma. People who suffer from this on analyzing their nodes researchers find out that this type of lymphoma have very large white blood cells in their nodes called reed-sternberg cells. There are subtypes of this classical hodgkin's lymphoma. Their names are:

Nodular sclerosis- hodgkin's lymphoma

Mixed cellularity- hodgkin's lymphoma

Lymphocyte-depleted hodgkin's lymphoma

Lymphocyte-rich hodgkin's lymphoma

Nodular lymphocyte-predominant hodgkin's lymphoma is the rare type of hodgkin lymphoma. In this lymphoma white blood cells look like popcorn and white blood cells are called popcorn cells in this lymphoma due to their appearance. This is usually at an early stage for a long time and easily diagnosed. This also requires less intensive treatment. ;

Risk factors:

There are some factors which can trigger the occurrence of hodgkin lymphoma. Such factor are:

Your age: hodgkin's lymphoma always occurs to people who are aged 20 to 30 years or people at 60 years.

A family chart of lymphoma: if your family members had hodgkin's lymphoma, your coming generation may have this lymphoma at their 60 years. So we should check it at the early years of our child or relative.

Being male: females are protected against this lymphoma somehow but male are not because they are more likely to have lymphoma.

Past epstein-barr infection: epstein-barr virus causes people to have illnesses such as infectious mononucleosis. People who have suffered from this virus are more likely to have hodgkin lymphoma than people who do have epstein-barr virus infections. ;

Hiv infection: these patients have a failed immune system, which increases the risk of hodgkin's lymphoma.

Treatment:

People with hodgkin lymphoma are given chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or when needed bone marrow transplant. There are many drugs which are given to control the birth rate of lymphocytes.

Conclusion:

Hodgkin lymphoma is rare but people are there who suffer from this. Treatment can cause them to have full recovery. But people can avoid it by having many fruits which are able to prevent cancer. For more information please visit the doctor.

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Hodgkin lymphoma: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors and Treatment

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