Vicc,

I hope these lines find you doing well. You and everyone else know I have a very open mind about RSD.

What do you think is the underlying cause of the ischemia? I believe the root of my problem is infection. In my life I have only heard of 2 things that spread, INFECTION and CANCER. Hugs, Roz

http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/co...keaha;26/3/373

The mechanisms linking infection and cerebral ischemia are still largely undetermined. In endocarditis, emboli from infected heart valves can cause ischemic stroke,29 and in bacterial, including tuberculous, meningitis, cerebral vasculitis can lead to ischemic stroke30 ; after herpes zoster of the neck and face, a local necrotizing arteritis can occur and can cause cerebral ischemia.31 However, these conditions were not present in our patients. Inflammatory mechanisms that accompany infection can stimulate coagulation by several pathways. These include the expression of thromboplastin by monocytes and macrophages,32 increased serum levels of tumor necrosis factor- and other cytokines33 34 that may alter coagulant function of the endothelium, the inhibition of the protein C/protein S anticoagulant system,35 36 and increased levels of clotting factors such as fibrinogen.2 In patients with infection-associated cerebral infarction, Ameriso and coworkers14 detected increased fibrin generation, increased cardiolipin immunoreactivity, and hyperfibrinogenemia compared with stroke patients without infections. This indicates a link between ischemic stroke, infection, and a procoagulant state. Further investigations are required to clarify the mechanisms linking acute infection and cerebral ischemia.