Christina Applegate Reveals Incorrect Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis After Five Years
The actress shared on her podcast that she was recently informed she does not have MS and is now seeking the cause of her ongoing symptoms.
Christina Applegate has revealed that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and lived with the condition for five years before recently discovering the error. The actress shared the news during an episode of her podcast, "Messy," released on Tuesday.
Applegate described being "not happy at all" and in tears upon learning she did not have the autoimmune disease. "You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I'm better," she said on the podcast. "If anything, I've gotten worse."
She explained that a few years ago, her doctor suggested she stop her infusion treatment for MS to observe her body's reaction. During this period, her body did not exhibit symptoms consistent with MS. Further investigation by doctors led to the conclusion that she does not have the disease, which can affect muscle stiffness, walking, and speech.
"She came into my room and said, 'Congratulations, you don't have MS,' " Applegate recalled. "I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy."
Applegate indicated that her debilitating symptoms persist daily. An investigation into the true cause of these symptoms is scheduled to begin next week. "I'm back at square one where I don't know what's going on with me," she stated.
The two-part podcast episode, co-hosted with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, concluded a recent break Applegate took to process this new information. She previously announced her MS diagnosis in 2021.