Christina Applegate reveals she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis: "Not happy at all" - CBS News
Actress Christina Applegate revealed that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis over five years after initially being told she had the chronic condition. During an episode of her podcast, Applegate and her doctors explained that a subsequent reduction in treatment revealed she never had MS, though she continues to experience debilitating daily symptoms.
Why it matters
The story sheds light on the challenges of neurological diagnoses, highlighting medical misdiagnosis rates and the emotional toll chronic illness diagnoses take on patients.
Christina Applegate announced Tuesday that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, more than five years after announcing she had been told she had the chronic condition. Applegate, 54, shared the news in a double episode of her podcast MeSsy, where she and co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler discuss life with multiple sclerosis. Applegate had taken a break from the podcast in recent weeks. She said Tuesday she had taken that time to process the new information. Applegate said that "all of a sudden, a few years ago," her doctor wanted to take her off an infusion treatment and see how her B cells reacted. The cell count didn't increase or decrease after the treatment stopped, which began "kind of a study into my diagnosis," Applegate said. Eventually, her doctor had surprising news: Applegate had never had multiple sclerosis at all.
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