Medical Health Encyclopedia

Alcohol Use. Studies on alcohol have been mixed, with some showing a higher risk, some a lower risk, and some no difference at all. A 2002 study reported, for example, some reduced risk from wine drinking but not from beer or other spirits. A 2005 study found that alcoholic beverages were linked to a reduced risk of developing NHL, but that the amount of protection depended on the type of NHL.

Smoking. There is no evidence that smoking increases the risk for NHL itself, although it has been linked with high-grade and follicular NHLs in people with lymphomas.

Infections

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Viruses or other microorganisms also play a role in some lymphomas. A number are being investigated:

• Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of mononucleosis, is highly associated with Burkitt's disease and NHLs associated with immunodeficiency diseases. It is also a risk factor Hodgkin's disease
• Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma, which appears to be caused by a virus known as HTLV-I, has been found in southwestern Japan, the Caribbean, and the southeastern United States.
• People who have stomach inflammation due to Helicobacter pylori or H. heilmannii bacteria are at increased risk for mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas (MALT). (The use of antibiotics to get rid of the bacteria may cause remission in some patients who have an early stage form of lymphoma in an early stage.)
• Human herpesvirus 8 has been associated with NHL.
• Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, has been associated with primary B-cell lymphoma.
• Heavy antibiotic use during adulthood may increase risk. A 2005 study found that adults who used antibiotics more than 10 times had 1.8 times the risk of developing NHL than nonusers. However, researchers were not certain if antibiotics themselves, or the underlying infections they treated, were responsible for the increased risk.

Click the icon to see an image of Lyme disease.