Christina Applegate discovers she doesn't have MS despite 2021 diagnosis
Applegate was diagnosed with MS in 2021, but cell testing later revealed she does not have the disease.
Christina Applegate announced she was misdiagnosed with MS. Applegate lived with this diagnosis for five years. The 54-year-old actor revealed her MS diagnosis in 2021.
Applegate became a key advocate for the disease. In March, she published an emotional memoir called You With the Sad Eyes.
She announced the misdiagnosis on her podcast MeSsy, saying she is back at square one. Despite the wrong diagnosis, Applegate still has severe symptoms.
She uses wheelchairs and cannot walk from her car to medical offices. She said the news left her confused and feeling like she let people down.
A 2024 study in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal found MS misdiagnosis is not rare. It found a 15 per cent misdiagnosis rate in cases examined.
Applegate said doctors are investigating what has been happening to her since 2021.
- Five years
- Time misdiagnosed
- 2021
- Original diagnosis year
- 15 per cent
- MS misdiagnosis rate in study
- 54
- Applegate's age
Why it mattersThe story shows how serious conditions can be misdiagnosed even after years of treatment. It shows the emotional cost of learning a diagnosis was wrong.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect, but relevant to Australians with MS concerns or interest in the health impacts of misdiagnosis.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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