Christina Applegate is undergoing tests for lupus and Lyme disease as doctors investigate the cause of her debilitating symptoms, which were previously misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis (MS). The actress shared in a podcast appearance that doctors are exploring conditions with symptoms similar to MS, including rheumatoid arthritis.
Applegate, 54, spent five years battling what she believed was MS, only to be informed last month that she does not have the disease. She described the news as "devastating" because her health has not improved, and she still relies on a wheelchair for mobility and requires significant time to get out of bed.
"We're going into square one, just doing some testing and going one by one of kind of the sister diseases to MS," Applegate said on her MeSsy podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler. "You've got RA [rheumatoid arthritis] and you've got lupus and Lyme disease and all these things that kind of can mimic MS."
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks, and rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition primarily affecting joints. All can present symptoms that overlap with those of MS, a disease affecting the central nervous system.
Applegate announced her MS diagnosis in August 2021 and became an advocate for those living with the condition. Following the recent misdiagnosis revelation, she expressed difficulty in shedding the identity of someone with MS after so many years. She stated that she remains committed to supporting the MS community despite her personal situation.
"I lived as a person with MS for almost six years. So... it's hard for me to try to shake that identity because it's been my identity for so long," Applegate said. She added that she is open to advice on how to feel better now that MS is no longer the identified condition.
