Asperger's, Sjogren's, and Hashimoto's overlap?

Autoimmune Cross-targeting hypothesis:  The immune system triggers autoimmunity because two infections exist on one target.  One viral inside the target and one visable...like a fungus or bacteria on the outside of the target.

Candida seems to be the candidate for Sjogren's first infection which creates the first antibodies.  Then Hepatitis C virus or epstein barr seems to be the viruses that are involved in the cross-targeting triggering causing Sjogren's autoimmune attack at the lymphocytes.

 Hepatitis C and eptsein barr infect lymphocytes. Candida infects skin, mouth, eyes, lymph, bones, and joints.  The overlap target looks like the lymphocytes.

While I was researching the cross-targeting of Sjogren's this pattern emerged: Asperger's overlapping  Sjogren's and Hashimoto's.

Mother with Sjogren's, son with Asperger's? Or son had early diagnosis of thyroid disorder?
 Several forums...looking for a CDC study. If I can't find this I will request one.

Sjogren's with Hashimoto's  thyroid
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23884987
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16984944
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8422556
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9010968

Aspergers's with Hashimoto's thyroid? do they have low TSH causing OCD?
Asperger's have a form of obsessive compulsive disorder but it manifests differently then the tourettes form.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17354567

I had associated fungal infections or strep with Hashimoto's with the low Thyroid stimulating hormone TSH possibly triggering repetitive behavior.

Not associated with repetitive OCD behavior but rather ones kidneys is restless leg syndrome.

Restless leg syndrome with Asperger's
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20738960
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15450915

Restless leg syndrome with Sjogren's
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8252317
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17977584

The restless leg could be because of Kidney issues: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15165541
Sjogren has been associated with kidney issues: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23557013

So if a patient with Asperger's experiences restless legs is it the kidneys just like sjogren's?
Okay just to be cute I will post this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15079170
(i just went to Italy and Michelangelo is still on my mind)


Candida and type 1 diabetes exists for Sjogren...does type 1 diabetes appear in Asperger's?
Is this one type of Candida in particular that can lead to Asperger's?

Note that Asperger's was first diagnosed in 1944 which is a few years after the start of antibiotics.

Sjogren has IBS, does Asperger's have IBS? Irritable bowel syndrome

Forgive the sketchy outline I am starting with....I will update this as soon as I can.
 This theory also still fits with my earlier asperger's post....sjogren overlaps with type 1 diabetes and Candida.

Vitiligo which is the lack of pigment has been associated with Addison's disease. Addison's disease I associate with Candida, viral, and genetic susceptibility. Here is a website where someone is trying to directly link candida and vitiligo: http://blog.probacto.com/vitiligo-and-candida-connection/ 

Here is a paper linking sjogren and vitiligo
http://www.pagepress.org/journals/index.php/rr/article/view/rr.2009.e7/1393

Candida makes a melanin pigment: http://ec.asm.org/content/9/9/1329.full 
Thus if the immune system was after candida and melanin...it could confuse melanin and melanocytes....thus the vitiligo.

  I am bringing this up wondering if pigment issues appear in Asperger's and how much of an overlap exists between albino issues and Asperger's.  Deafness can occur with albino's...can deafness occur from on autoimmune attack on melanin.

I found a personal blog by a mother named Nell with an asperger's child who noticed a huge improvement when her child had gone on Anti-virals.  (vira-stop) Her son Julian had tested for extremely high levels of epstein-barr virus.

Epstien-barr virus is a culprit underconsideration by researchers as an instigator of melanoma...this virus infects melanocytes.  It seems very likely to  me that this could be the cross-targeting that causes Asperger's to be an autoimmune disease.  Candida makes anti-melanin antibodies that focus on melanocytes but our immune system won't attack until a virus also marks it....it is then possible that melanin used in other areas of the the body could be attacked.  Because hearing involves melanin the immune system could cause deafness....some areas of the brain have melanin....but the blood brain barrier must develop a hole....i am not sure how this will develop but at least we have a starting place.

The top most part of the brainstem the mesencephalon is made up of the tectum and the cerebral peduncles. The cerebral peduncles are nerve fibers that carry melanin. Is this area of the brain vulnerable to antibodies or does the blood brain barrier protect it?  Would an autoimmune attack on melanin involve these nerve fibers?  This is the region of the brain for processing the control of eye movements and auditory input.... and quick responses.

As for the cross-targeting Epstein-barr has been known to infect the brainstem region and cause encephalitis. http://www.ajnr.org/content/27/7/1447.long

I have read that asperger's can coexist with dyslexia and that some asperger's kids have coordination issues.  Could this explain what is going on? would immune suppression help? I have them as different groups.

Is Asperger's an autoimmune disease of melanin containing tissue/nerves of the brainstem?  Candida/aspergillus causing antibodies marking the target then the epstein-barr virus infecting the target?





NONE of this could be true..hypothesis...but my imagination can't help but generate possible connections like this for us to look at.  I hope my thoughts help research.