Christina Applegate has shared a startling health update, revealing that her doctor has informed her she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) five years ago. The actress described the development as a crushing blow that has left her feeling lost, confused, and "back at square one."
In a recent episode of her podcast, "MeSsy," which she co-hosts with Jamie Lynn Sigler, Applegate tearfully recounted the moment she received the news. Sigler, who also lives with MS, was present when Applegate's doctor delivered the diagnosis. "She came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS,’" Applegate recalled. However, the news brought no relief. "You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden, I’m better. I haven’t gotten better, Jamie. If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways," she stated.
Applegate, who announced her MS diagnosis in 2021, explained that she continues to experience symptoms consistent with the disease. "So I’m back at square one, that I don’t know what’s wrong with me. And that’s going to be an online investigation that my doctors are going to get into, and just to find out what has been happening since 2021. Why did this happen? I have every symptom of someone who has MS. Every single one," she said.
A neurology professor appearing on a subsequent podcast episode clarified that MS cannot be confirmed by a single test. The professor noted that approximately 20% of individuals diagnosed with MS are ultimately found not to have the condition, with many having been on medication for years. "Almost 1 in 5 of these people who’d been told they had MS, some for decades, didn’t actually have it. And a majority of them were on medication to treat their MS," said Dr. Marwa Kaisey, associate professor with the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center department of neurology.
Since learning of the misdiagnosis, Applegate, 54, has grappled with negative thoughts, questioning her own actions and whether she has let down those who have benefited from her advocacy for MS awareness and research. "Everything I was doing, I had a reason. I had a fucking reason why my days sucked every day, and now I don’t have a reason and it’s very unnerving and it’s really confusing for me," she expressed.