Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Christina Applegate said doctors have determined that she does not have multiple sclerosis, nearly five years after she announced she had been diagnosed with the disease.

The 54-year-old actor disclosed the misdiagnosis Tuesday on *MeSsy*, the podcast she hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Applegate said her doctor told her, “Congratulations, you don’t have MS,” but the news left her upset rather than relieved because her debilitating symptoms have continued.

“You don’t get misdiagnosed, and all of a sudden I’m better,” she said. “If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways.” Applegate said she still uses a wheelchair for some medical visits and cannot walk from a car to a doctor’s office. She described the development as “unnerving” and “really confusing,” saying she is “back at square one” without an explanation for her condition.

Applegate said questions about her diagnosis emerged after she stopped an infusion treatment and her B-cell count did not change as expected. Her initial evaluation in 2021 included MRIs that showed dozens of brain lesions and a spinal tap, she said. Further medical investigation into the cause of her symptoms is expected to begin next week.

Since announcing her original diagnosis, Applegate has publicly discussed mobility problems and other symptoms and became an advocate for MS awareness. She said she currently undergoes physical therapy three times a week.