Hodgkin's disease (Hodgkin's lymphoma, lymphogranulomatosis) is a rare enough disease that can develop in both children and adults, but is most often detected in two age groups: 20-29 years and after 55 years. Named a disease in honor of the English doctor T. Hodgkin, who first described it.
Hodgkin's disease - what is it?
The disease under consideration is a type of malignant tumor that develops from the lymphoid tissue. Lymphoid tissue is widely represented in the body and consists mainly of lymphocytes and reticular cells, which are located mainly in the lymph nodes and spleen, as well as in many other organs (thymus gland, bone marrow, etc.) in the form of small nodules.
Causes of Hodgkin's Disease
The disease begins to develop as a result of the appearance in the human lymphatic tissue of specific giant cells that are found in the study of affected lymph nodes under a microscope. However, the exact cause of the appearance of these cells has not yet been determined, and studies are still being carried out in this direction.
According to one of the assumptions, the disease has an infectious nature, as evidenced by the detection of almost half of the patients with the Epstein-Barr virus. There is also evidence supporting the association of Hodgkin's disease with infectious mononucleosis.
Other provocative factors are:
- various environmental factors, the impact of chemicals;
- bad habits;
- genetic predisposition.
Symptoms of Hodgkin's Disease
Since any part of the lymphoid tissue can be involved in the pathological process, the manifestations of the disease are associated with the area of the lesion. His first symptoms are rarely alarming patients, because they can be present at a variety of other diseases.
As a rule, the first complaint is associated with an increase in peripheral lymph nodes against a background of complete health. Most often, first of all, the cervical lymph nodes are affected, then the axillary and inguinal. With their rapid increase, their soreness can be observed.
In some cases, the lymphoid tissue of the chest is affected first. Then the first sign of Hodgkin's disease can be chest pain, shortness of breath, shortness of breath or cough due to pressure on the lungs and bronchi of enlarged lymph nodes. When lesions of the lymph nodes of the abdominal cavity patients complain of discomfort and pain in the abdomen, loss of appetite.
After some time (from several weeks to several months), the pathological process ceases to be local, the disease extends to the lymphatic tissue of the entire body. All lymph nodes, often also the spleen, liver, bones grow.
Progression of the disease manifests itself by such symptoms:
- pain in the internal organs, bones;
- increased body temperature;
- cold sweat at night;
- growing weakness;
- skin itching in the area of lymph nodes (especially after drinking alcohol);
- weight loss.
Treatment of Hodgkin's Disease
Today, the following methods are used to treat Hodgkin's disease:
- radiation therapy;
- chemotherapy with various combinations of drugs;
- combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy;
- chemotherapy with the use of increased doses of drugs with further bone marrow transplantation.
As a rule, the first course of treatment begins in a hospital setting, and then patients continue treatment on an outpatient basis.
Hodgkin's disease is the outcome
Modern methods of treatment of the disease can provide a long and even complete remission (sometimes in neglected cases). It is believed that patients whose complete remission lasts more than 5 years after the completion of therapy are finally cured.