Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Christina Applegate, 54, said she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to CBS News, NBC News, ABC News, Fox News, CNN and Newsweek. She made the announcement in an episode of her podcast "MeSsy", which she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Those outlets date the episode to Tuesday, while the Associated Press and outlets carrying its text say Monday. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 ]

Applegate said her doctor "came into my room and said, 'Congratulations, you don't have MS.'" She said she was "not happy at all" and that "everybody else was so happy." She said her symptoms have not eased. "You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I'm better," she said, adding that if anything she has gotten worse in some ways and is "back at square one". The AP quoted her as saying she still has "every symptom of someone with MS" and still has to use wheelchairs when she goes to the doctor's office. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]

CBS News reported that Applegate's doctor had wanted to take her off an infusion treatment and see how her B cells reacted. She said the cell count did not change, which began "kind of a study into my diagnosis". CNN reported that recent testing using new technology led to the conclusion that she does not have MS. Applegate said she had undergone a spinal tap and MRIs at the time of her initial diagnosis, and that scans showed lesions on her brain. She said her medical team will now try to determine the cause of her symptoms. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 ]

Dr. Marwa Kaisey, an associate professor of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, appeared on the episode. CBS News quoted her as saying almost one in five people told they have MS "didn't actually have it", and The Hill reported roughly 20%. She said misdiagnosis is "fairly common" because no single test exists for MS. CNN reported that Kaisey was one of the authors of a study which found that nearly one in five patients with an MS diagnosis did not fully meet the criteria for the disease. [ 1 , 3 , 9 ]

Applegate first announced in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with MS. She and Sigler, who has MS, have become prominent advocates for people with the disease, and Applegate said she felt she had "let everybody down". CNN reported that Sigler had hosted the podcast alone for seven months during Applegate's absence, while CBS News said Applegate had taken a break in recent weeks. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]