Sepsis - septicemia - blood poisoning. Familiar names for a little understood process. Most people think of it as bacterial invasion of the bloodstream itself, but that isn't exactly true. Sepsis is actually a reaction of your immune system that may or may not involve the physical presence of bacteria. It is as though your defenders see the invader's tracks and don't wait to see if they are still there. This can trigger a reaction which gets out of control and leads to a massive drop in blood pressure as the barrier lining the circulatory system begins to leak and shock sets in.

These musings began with an article in today's Daily Mail

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...a-mystery.html

Consider the parallels-

Both involve an over reaction of the immune system. In PD it is the microglial activation. Both reactions can continue long after the original threat has passed. Both feature problems with leaking blood vessels. In PD it is the BBB. Multiple types of infective agents can trigger it (over 200 for sepsis, 2 and counting for PD). Cytokines factor in to both situations. So, could PD involve a sub-clinical form of sepsis?