BOSTON — Actress Christina Applegate says she is “back to square one” after doctors determined she does not have multiple sclerosis, a condition she publicly said she had been diagnosed with in 2021.
The 54-year-old actress says her symptoms became so severe this year that she was unable to get out of bed.
Additional testing, however, led doctors to reconsider her MS diagnosis. Applegate says doctors are now working to determine what is actually causing her symptoms.
Dr. Michael Levy, a neuroimmunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Boston 25 News that Applegate’s case stood out in part because she was diagnosed in her 40s rather than in her mid-20s, when the doctor said many patients are diagnosed.
Levy also noted that many patients respond well once treatment begins. In Applegate’s case, her continued struggles prompted doctors to take another look at the diagnosis.
“Most people do fairly well when they start on treatment,” Levy said. “In Ms. Applegate’s case, not only was she diagnosed late, but she’s not doing well. I think that’s what prompted the doctors to reconsider the diagnosis.”
There is no single blood test for multiple sclerosis, which can make diagnosing the disease challenging.
A recent study found that nearly one in five patients may be misdiagnosed.
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