When cells in the body grow uncontrollably, the resultant condition is known to be cancer. The average lifespan of such a cell is short, the cells are bound to die. However, in the case of lymphoma, instead of following this standard timeline, the cells do not die and instead thrive in the environment of uncontrollable growth.

The causes of lymphoma are not yet entirely certain. When the causes of conditions that are fatal are unknown, it can be slightly stressful to understand how it can be prevented. However, there are certain risk factors, particularly for Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which can be used to gauge the risk of being affected. This also helps reduce the odds of being prone to these conditions. The risk factors associated with non-Hodgkins lymphoma are as follows:

Ethnicity
There are certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphomas that display more affinity towards certain people. Americans are more likely to get affected than people from other ethnicities. Certain other types of non-Hodgkin lymphomas have also displayed affinity towards people of African-American and Asian-American ethnicities.

Age
The various types of lymphoma have different target age groups that are more prone to specific subtypes. However, as a general observation, people above the age of 60 are generally prone to the condition of lymphoma. On the other end, there are also certain types of lymphomas that affect children and infants more than people of other age groups.

Infections
Several infections that compromise the power of the immune system can increase the risk of being affected by different types of lymphomas. Some of these lymphomas that increase the odds of being affected are helicobacter pylori, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human T-cell leukemia/lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1), and hepatitis C.

Autoimmune conditions
People who are already prone to several autoimmune conditions, such as celiac disease or rheumatoid arthritis, have higher odds of being prone to certain types of lymphomas compared to others.

Weight
Recent studies have also shown that obesity has a connection with lymphoma. However, more substantial evidence is required.

The risk factors associated with Hodgkin’s lymphomas are as follows:

Age
The different types of Hodgkin’s lymphomas are usually found in people between the ages of 20 and 30. People above the age of 55 years are also at a higher risk of being prone to these conditions.

Infectious mononucleosis
Mononucleosis occurs in individuals because of an EBV infection. Being affected by this infection can increase the odds of being affected by this particular class of lymphomas.

Sex
Hodgkin’s lymphomas are generally known to occur more in the male population.

Family history
The risk of being affected by Hodgkin’s lymphoma would increase if a sibling has also been affected by this condition.

Immunodeficiency
People who have been affected by HIV are usually at a higher risk of being prone to Hodgkin’s lymphoma than individuals who have not.