Christina Applegate Reveals Misdiagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis
Actress shares that a doctor told her she does not have MS, leaving her confused and feeling she let down a community.
Christina Applegate, 54, revealed on Tuesday that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological and autoimmune disorder. The revelation came during an episode of the podcast "MeSsY," which Applegate co-hosts with actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has been open about her own struggles with MS.
"This may come as great news, but to me, it comes as like, very like I'm back at square one," Applegate said on the podcast. "But it's hard to say … [my doctor] came into my room and she said, 'Congratulations, you don't have MS. Congratulations.'"
Applegate first publicly announced her diagnosis of MS in 2021. MS causes the immune system to attack the central nervous system, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Symptoms can vary widely and include fatigue, numbness, weakness, and bladder control issues. There is no known cure for MS, and treatments focus on reducing flare-ups and slowing disability progression.
In a March interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts, Applegate had spoken about not yet accepting her diagnosis, stating, "This is a lifelong disease with no cure. Period."
On the podcast, Applegate said she still experiences "every symptom of someone with MS" and that the news of her misdiagnosis has left her with more questions than answers. "If anything, I've gotten worse in some ways, and so I'm back at square one that I don't know what's going on with me," she said. "And that's going to be an online investigation that, you know, my doctors are going to get into, and just to find out what has been happening since 2021. Why did this happen?"
She described the situation as "very unnerving and it's really confusing for me."
Applegate took a hiatus from the "MeSsy" podcast to process the misdiagnosis, which she said plunged her into a "great depression." She continues to use a wheelchair in medical settings and experiences mobility issues.
"It's weird because I feel like I let everybody down," Applegate said. "It's this weird feeling because I became this — [Sigler] and I, the poster children for MS. And everything I was doing. I had a reason ... And now I don't have a reason and it's very unnerving and it's very confusing for me."
Dr. Marwa Kaisey, an associate professor of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, stated in a follow-up episode with Applegate and Sigler that misdiagnosis of MS is not uncommon. Kaisey's research indicates that nearly one in five people are misdiagnosed with MS, attributing the rate to the lack of a single diagnostic test and the overlap of MS symptoms with other conditions.