Risk factors for childhood Hodgkin’s disease include the following:

• Age: Hodgkin’s disease is most common in young people between the ages of 15 and 19.
• Gender: Hodgkin’s disease is slightly more common in girls than in boys. In children younger than five years, it is more common in boys than in girls.
• Specific viral infections: Being infected with the Epstein-Barr virus increases a child’s chances of developing Hodgkin’s disease.
• Genetics: Children who have a brother or sister with Hodgkin’s disease are more likely to also develop the disease than a child whose siblings are not affected by the disease.