In developed countries there are two peaks of incidence of Hodgkin's disease, the first in young adults (ages 15 to 35) and the second after age 50. Men are affected slightly more commonly than women.
The frequency of the various sub-types depends on age. At the National Cancer Institute in the United States, where the majority of patients are young, nodular sclerosis accounts for 70 percent of cases and lymphocyte predominant for 15 percent. Mixed cellularity and lymphocyte depletion are more common in the elderly, in socioeconomically underdeveloped areas and in people with AIDS.
There are no clearly established risk factors for Hodgkin's disease, although in the developed countries there is some increased risk with small family size, higher education and higher socioeconomic position. Brothers and sisters of people with Hodgkin's disease have an incidence seven times higher than in the general population. However, the disease is still quite uncommon even in the siblings of patients with it. Sophisticated studies are in progress to explore the genetics of Hodgkin's disease.
