By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Wednesday, October 01, 2003


Oct. 1, 2003 -- New research confirms a long-suspected link between infectious mononucleosis -- also known as the "kissing disease" -- and a cancer commonly found in young adults.


Researchers are implicating the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the cause of mononucleosis, in roughly one-third of Hodgkin's disease cases.


Using a comprehensive nationwide medical database, investigators in Denmark compared 17,000 people with mononucleosis caused by Epstein-Barr virus to more than 24,000 people who were suspected of having mono, but did not have evidence of EBV.

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