One man’s view of Hodgkin's disease

Summary 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.