Christina Applegate reveals she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 14:14 · Archive

Actress Christina Applegate revealed she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis five years after receiving the diagnosis.

Christina Applegate announced on her MeSsy podcast that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, more than five years after she was initially told she had the chronic condition. A doctor informed her that she did not have MS after stopping an infusion treatment to see how her B cells reacted. The cell count did not increase or decrease, which prompted further investigation into her diagnosis.

Applegate, 54, described the moment her doctor revealed the misdiagnosis. 'She came into my room and said, "Congratulations, you don't have MS,"' Applegate said. 'I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.' She explained that despite the diagnosis being overturned, she has not experienced any improvement in her health. 'You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I'm better,' she said. 'I haven't gotten better. If anything, I've gotten worse.'

Applegate said she is now 'back at square one' with no clarity on what condition has been causing her symptoms. 'That's going to be an online investigation that my doctors are going to be getting into just to find out what has been going on since 2021, why did this happen?' she added.

The misdiagnosis has had a profound impact on Applegate's life. She described going through 'a great depression' and said she 'lost everything', including her job. She continues to use wheelchairs and a cane and has stepped back from her acting career.

Dr Marwa Kaisey, an associate professor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's department of neurology, appeared on the podcast and noted that misdiagnoses with MS are 'fairly common' because there is no single test for the condition. Almost one in five people told they have MS 'didn't actually have it', according to Kaisey. Applegate said she had undergone tests including a spinal tap and MRIs, which showed lesions on her brain at the time of her initial diagnosis.

How it is being reported

• Christina Applegate reveals she was misdiagnosed with MSChristina Applegate said on her MeSsy podcast that her doctor recently revealed she did not have multiple sclerosis.CBS News · 20 Oct, 14:10
• Christina Applegate tearfully announces she does not have MS after being ‘misdiagnosed’To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Actress Christina Applegate has revealed she does not have multiple sclerosis (MS), despite her 2021 diagnosis. The Married… with Children icon, 54, has…Metro · 20 Oct, 14:01
• Christina Applegate reveals MS misdiagnosis in shocking health update: ‘I lost everything’“You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I’m better,” the actress said.New York Post · 20 Oct, 13:14

In this story: Christina Applegate · Jamie-Lynn Sigler · Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · Dr Marwa Kaisey

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