The short answer
Lymphoma risk factors include getting older, a weakened immune system, certain infections such as EBV and H. pylori, autoimmune disease, and family history. Having a risk factor does not mean you will get lymphoma.
Risk factors raise the odds of lymphoma; they do not directly cause it in any one person.
Immune system problems, such as HIV, organ transplant medicines, or certain autoimmune diseases, are listed as risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Epstein-Barr virus (the virus that causes mononucleosis) is linked to both Hodgkin lymphoma and some types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Hodgkin lymphoma is most common in early adulthood (ages 20 to 39) and in late adulthood (65 and older). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk is higher in older people.
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The simple version
This page is for people with lymphoma, their families, and anyone curious about what raises the risk. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. It has two main forms, Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Each has a somewhat different set of risk factors. Having a risk factor does not mean you will get lymphoma, and many people with lymphoma cannot point to a specific cause.
Risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma
NCI lists these risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma:
- Age, sex, and race. Being older, male, or White.
- Weakened immune system. Having an inherited immune disorder, having HIV/AIDS, or taking immune-suppressing medicines after an organ transplant.
- Autoimmune disease. Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and Sjögren syndrome.
- Certain infections. Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), Epstein-Barr virus, and Helicobacter pylori.
Risk factors for Hodgkin lymphoma
- Age. Hodgkin lymphoma is most common in early adulthood (ages 20 to 39) and in late adulthood (65 and older).
- Epstein-Barr virus. Past Epstein-Barr infection (the cause of mononucleosis) raises risk.
- Family history. Having relatives with Hodgkin lymphoma raises risk.
- Sex. The risk is slightly higher in males than in females.
What this means day to day
Many of these factors are not things a person can change. If you have a condition listed above, ask your care team what you should watch for. Call your care team if you notice swollen lymph nodes, fever for no known reason, drenching night sweats, or weight loss for no known reason.
Questions to ask
- Based on my history, are there specific risk factors relevant to me?
- Does my immune status affect my treatment plan?
- Should any of my relatives be aware of a family risk?
Sources
Common questions
Is lymphoma contagious?
No, lymphoma itself is not contagious. Some of the infections linked to a higher lymphoma risk, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or HIV, are contagious, but having those infections does not mean lymphoma will develop.
Does having an autoimmune disease mean I'll get lymphoma?
No. Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and Sjögren syndrome are listed as risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but having a risk factor does not mean you will get lymphoma. Ask your care team about your own situation.
I had mono as a teenager. Does that mean I'm at risk for lymphoma?
Epstein-Barr virus (the cause of mononucleosis) infection is listed as a risk factor for Hodgkin lymphoma, but having a risk factor does not mean you will get lymphoma.
Can lymphoma be prevented?
Many known risk factors, like age, sex, and family history, are not things a person can change. Talk with your care team about your own situation.
Does lymphoma run in families?
It can. NCI lists having relatives with Hodgkin lymphoma as a risk factor for Hodgkin lymphoma. Ask your care team whether your family history matters for you.
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Plain-language explanation of the published sources cited on this page. AI-assisted, source-checked, not clinician-reviewed.
Last updated: 2026-10-16Next planned review: 2027-08-03
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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