Christina Applegate says her doctor revised her multiple sclerosis diagnosis

Christina Applegate says her doctor told her she had been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis and had never had the condition. Speaking on her podcast, MeSsy, she said she continues to experience debilitating symptoms. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system.

Applegate said the reassessment began after her doctor stopped an infusion treatment to observe how her B cells responded. Their count neither rose nor fell after treatment stopped, she said, prompting further examination of the diagnosis. She recalled feeling unhappy when her doctor told her she did not have MS.

The revised diagnosis has not brought an improvement in her daily life or mobility, Applegate said. She described her symptoms as worsening and said she was back at the beginning of trying to understand what was happening to her. She said her doctors would begin investigating the cause the following week.

There is no single test for MS, and diagnosis usually includes ruling out other possible causes. Reaching a diagnosis can take years and involve visits to multiple doctors before the findings are put together.