Hodgkin’s disease, recently known as Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a kind of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a part of the immune system of the body. Hodgkin’s disease can affect at all ages, but particularly individuals between the ages of 20-40 years and individuals over the age of 55 years are the most affected as per reports. In Hodgkin’s disease, the lymphatic system cells grow abruptly and spread to the other part of the body. Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are the two types of lymphatic system cancers. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the most common form out of the two. With the advancement in diagnosing and treatments, many people have been fortunate enough to make a complete recovery from Hodgkin’s disease.

Symptoms

• Persistent tiredness or fatigue is the most common symptoms of Hodgkin’s disease
• The lymph nodes in the armpit, groin, and neck get swollen although they will be painless
• Sweating during the night is visible for a person suffering from Hodgkin’s disease
• Hodgkin’s disease is usually accompanied by fever
• People suffering from Hodgkin’s disease have been found to experience sudden weight loss
• An individual experiences severe itching if suffering from Hodgkin’s disease
• People suffering from Hodgkin’s disease suffer increased sensitivity towards alcohol. People suffer from pain in their lymph nodes post consuming alcohol

Reasons for Hodgkin’s disease
The exact reason of Hodgkin’s disease is still unclear but it has been noticed that when lymphocytes which form a part of the primary immune system undergoes mutation, they multiply and spread to various part of the body. There are different types of lymphoma and depending on the size of the swelling and the area affected the diagnosis and the treatment varies. The common kind of lymphoma is classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Following are the kinds of classical lymphoma:

• Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Mixed Cellularity Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Risks involved
Reasons which elevate the risk of Hodgkin’s lymphoma are as follows:

• Age
  Individuals mostly in the ages of 15-30 years and over 55 years are most vulnerable to Hodgkin’s disease.
• Family history
  An individual is at higher risk of getting Hodgkin’s lymphoma if they have a blood relative having Hodgkin’s lymphoma or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
• Gender
  Male individuals are at more risk of getting Hodgkin’s lymphoma when compared to females.
• History of Epstein-Barr infection
  It has been noted that individuals who have had an illness due to a virus named Epstein Barr, such infectious mononucleosis is more prone to develop this disease.

Diagnosis:

• Physical examination
  Doctors check for swollen lymph nodes in the individual’s neck, groin, and underarm.
• Blood test
  A blood sample is collected to further test in the lab for any possibilities of cancer.
• Imaging test
  X-Rays, CT scans are conducted to verify any presence of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in different parts of the body.
• Lymph node extraction
  The doctor may suggest a biopsy of the lymph node for getting a better idea. If there is a presence of Reed-Sternberg cells, then the patient can be concluded to suffer from Hodgkin’s disease.

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplant, and other drug therapies are the different options to treat Hodgkin’s disease.