Paula,

You are spot on! There is mounting evidence that many diseases and chronic health conditions are autoimmune in nature. There is a scientist Olsen just introduced me to, Paul Ewald, an evolutionary biologist who thinks that many complex conditions are result of secondar infections from common bacterial, viral, or fungal infection. What he is saying is so logical and explains away most of the "mystery". I have made connections in separate post, but will link to Olsen's articles because they are fascinating and quite plausible.

http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news...erm_theory.htm

http://bacteriality.com/2008/02/11/ewald/

He is also on TED. Dr. Ewald actually states that one reason medical science and clinical establishment are reluctant to embrace his views because they make money from keeping people sick!

One of the bacteria linked to PD (one causing toxoplasmosis) actually uses dopamine in an effort to thrive. What is really scary is that it alters the brain chemistry of its host for its survival. Usually animals who get sick from it and humans who have bacteria have a long dormancy before symptoms appear. It also explains why PD does not consistently appear in families. I get how the infection theory explains inflammation but do not quite get the connection to alpha-synuclein pathology. In Alzheimer's it is know that the Beta Amyloid protein that misfolds is in its benign form an antimicrobial peptide. Who's to say that alpha-syn doesn't play same rolel for PD? Further, scientists are not ruling out that the microbes are not altering our genes for their needs.

What I find really compelling is that there is evidence of inflammation, pathological cytokine production, as origin of mood disorders like depression and anxiety. Think of how many neurological disorders start this way! That is hinting that we may be on a big autoimmune disorder spectrum.

As for any other associations, I was treated for hypothyroidism in my 20's but TSH levels normalized just prior to diagnosis. All of you mention vitiligo and I read that is the skin showing us there is hidden or underlying disease going on. I copy and pasted this web article:

SUMMARY. There is a significant association between vitiligo and thyroid disease. Thyroglobulin antibodies are significantly associated with vitiligo, whether patients with psoriasis or a general practice population are taken as controls. Similarly complement-fixing antibodies are significantly associated with vitiligo as compared with psoriasis. There is no evidence that thyroid autoimmunity is associated positively or negatively with psoriasis. Alopecia areata, pernicious anaemia and diabetes mellitus are also significantly associated with vitiligo.