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Christina Applegate is “back at square one” after learning that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. 

 “[My doctor] came into my room and she said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS,’” the Married… With Children and Dead to Me actor said on the latest episode of her MeSsy podcast, which she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler of The Sopranos.

But for Applegate, the news that she did not have MS was hardly a relief. 

“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 in some ways,” she said. “So I’m back at square one, that I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

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Christina Applegate Reveals Her MS Diagnosis Was Wrong, and the News Has Left Her With More Questions Than Answers

Applegate was diagnosed with MS in 2021. She went public about her condition in 2022 and became an high-profile advocate for people living with MS, a disease which affects the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.

Learning that she didn’t have MS left Applegate reeling. But she’s far from alone in her situation. 

“[Misdiagnosis is] more common than most people realize,” Dr. Dinesh Sivakolundu, a board-certified neurologist at MS & Neuromuscular Center of Excellence, told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in an email. “Studies suggest that about 1 in 7 people diagnosed with MS (roughly 15%) don’t actually have it. Among patients referred to specialty MS centers to answer the question ‘Is this MS?’, between a third and two-thirds turn out to have something else. And these misdiagnoses aren’t usually caught quickly. Many people carry the wrong label for years.”

An incorrect diagnosis can affect a person’s health and well-being on multiple levels. 

“Learning that you’ve been misdiagnosed can be incredibly difficult, especially when you’ve spent time accepting a diagnosis and undergoing treatment,” Dr. Isabelle Amigues, a  rheumatologist and founder of UnabridgedMD, a direct specialty care practice for people living with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, said. “It can create a sense of distrust in medical professionals. You’re also left wondering, ‘I still have these symptoms, so what is actually wrong with me?’ I hope [Applegate] knows that whatever symptoms she’s experiencing are real. It’s just a matter of figuring out the correct diagnosis and treatment plan.”

In addition, the medications a person might take to treat their non-existent MS “carry real risks, including infections and other immune problems,” Sivakolundu said. 

“They won’t treat whatever is actually causing the symptoms,” he added. “Sometimes they can even make the real condition worse.”

What could have caused Applegate’s MS-like symptoms? A number of other conditions can mimic multiple sclerosis, Sivakolundu explained, including migraine, small-vessel changes in the brain related to blood pressure or aging, stroke, fibromyalgia, anxiety or depression, and functional neurological disorder. 

“Related immune conditions such as neuromyelitis optica (NMOSD) and MOG antibody disease, as well as lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, sarcoidosis, vitamin B12 deficiency, certain infections like Lyme, and some genetic disorders” are other less common MS “lookalikes,” he added. 

While a misdiagnosis is challenging to accept, Amigues said that Applegate had reasons to be hopeful she would eventually get answers to her questions about her health. 

“[W]e can now diagnose many autoimmune disorders much more accurately because we have better diagnostic tools. In the past, we were much more reliant on clinical exams and patients’ reported symptoms,” she said. 

“The next step is to find a really good doctor who will take the time to listen, investigate your symptoms and help you get answers. If an autoimmune condition is suspected, that might mean seeing a rheumatologist,” Amigues added.

“The symptoms are real and still need the right explanation and treatment,” Sivakolundu said. “The next steps are a thorough re-evaluation by an MS specialist, since the true cause is often migraine, small-vessel disease, or a related immune condition like neuromyelitis optica or MOG antibody disease. Any MS medication should be stopped only with a neurologist’s guidance, never abruptly, while care shifts to the actual diagnosis. Finally, the emotional side deserves real support, because losing an MS label can bring relief and grief at once, and counseling and peer support genuinely help.”

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