Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

What Causes Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma?

In order to deal properly with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma we need to understand and — if possible — remove the underlying causes and risk factors.  We need to ask: "What else is going on inside the body that might allow non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to develop?"

Diagnose your symptoms now!
  • check your overall health status
  • learn what you should be doing right now
  • have a doctor review your case (optional)

Accurate diagnosis of the factors behind non-Hodgkin's lymphoma consists of three steps:

Step 1: List the Possible Causative Factors

Identify all disease conditions, lifestyle choices and environmental risk factors that can lead to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.  Here are five possibilities:
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Psoriasis
  • Weakened Immune System
  • Cigarette Smoke Damage
  • Epstein-Barr Virus

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

Identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:
heavily coated tongue
poor bodily coordination
recent onset nausea
psoriasis
grooves across fingernails
recent productive cough
recent heavy tobacco smoking
slightly elevated eosinophil count
severe emotional instability
genital sores
much reduced sense of smell
resolved atypical recent headaches
... and more than 60 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma:
Cause Probability Status
Cigarette Smoke Damage 96% Confirm
Epstein-Barr Virus 21% Unlikely
Psoriasis 3% Ruled out
Weakened Immune System 0% Ruled out
HIV/AIDS 0% Ruled out
* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate cancer, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:
Have you suffered from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL)?
Possible responses:
→ No / don't know
→ Yes but now resolved for over 5 years
→ Yes but now resolved for under 5 years
→ Current problem but containable
→ Current problem and aggressive/spreading
Based on your response to this question, which may indicate either history of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:
HIV/AIDS

People with HIV have a weakened immune system and, as a result, are more likely to develop certain cancers.  Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas are the second-most common type of malignancy after Kaposi's Sarcoma in HIV patients.

Cigarette Smoke Damage

One study has found that, compared to men who had never smoked, men who had smoked had an elevated mortality rate for non-Hodgkin's, with a risk almost four-fold greater among the heaviest smokers.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) and Epstein-Barr virus are two infectious agents that increase the chance of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Psoriasis

People who suffer from the skin disease psoriasis are at an increased risk for cancer, according to a study ending in 2003 that involved 108,000 patients.  Specifically, study authors found that patients with psoriasis had a nearly three-fold increased rate of lymphoma.

Previous research had found an association between psoriasis and lymphoma.  Doctors from the University of Pennsylvania studied whether the rate of lymphoma in patients with a history of psoriasis is different from the rate of lymphoma in patients without psoriasis.  After reviewing records, researchers found all the patients with psoriasis who had lymphoma were treated with medications consistent with psoriasis treatment.

While researchers concluded that there is an association between psoriasis and lymphoma, they felt additional research needed to be done to determine if this association is related to psoriasis severity, psoriasis treatment or an interaction between these risk factors. [Archives of Dermatology, 2003;139: pp.1425-9]

Weakened Immune System

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is more common among people with inherited immune deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, or HIV/AIDS, and among people taking immunosuppressant drugs following organ transplants.

Concerned or curious about your health?  Try The Analyst™
Symptom Entry
Symptom Entry
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Suggestions
Suggestions
LifeMeter
LifeMeter®
Full Explanations
Explanations
Optional Doctor Review
Review (optional)
We use cookies for traffic analysis, advertising, and to provide the best user experience