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Christina Applegate’s shocking revelation that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis nearly five years ago has left many wondering how doctors could have gotten it wrong.
Dr. Barbara S. Giesser, MD, FAAN, FANA, director of the MS Comprehensive Care Clinic at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., exclusively told Page Six that diagnosing the autoimmune disease is not always straightforward.
Giesser, who does not treat Applegate, spoke generally about how MS misdiagnoses can occur.
“There is no one single definitive test for multiple sclerosis,” Giesser, who has specialized in MS since 1982, explained. “There’s no one test that we can do and say yes or no 100 percent.”
“We have guidelines, we have rules, we have what are called formal diagnostic criteria, and they get updated all the time,” she said.
Giesser explained that doctors rely on a combination of criteria, including evidence of nerve damage in the central nervous system, while also ruling out other possible conditions.
“MS is not the only thing that can cause many of the symptoms that people with MS can have,” she said. “Some of the common symptoms being sensory symptoms, numbness, tingling, fatigue, weakness, and imbalance.”
Giesser noted that MRI scans, which are commonly used to help diagnose the disease, can also reveal abnormalities caused by other medical conditions.
“Because we do not have one single definitive test, you have to meet these criteria, and sometimes what looks like MS turns out not to be.”
According to Giesser, studies have found that MS misdiagnoses can occur in up to “20 percent of the time.”
As for what Applegate, 54, could be suffering from instead, Giesser explained that several other conditions can produce symptoms similar to MS.
“The more common ones are things like lupus and other sorts of autoimmune diseases that can cause inflammation that can sometimes produce a similar picture,” she said. “Sometimes certain infections can do this.”
The neurologist added that certain rare neurodegenerative diseases, including some hereditary conditions, can also resemble MS. However, Giesser explained that improvements in medical imaging can sometimes help doctors recognize an incorrect diagnosis years later.
“We have gotten much better at imaging, and we now have new imaging metrics, which again are not 100 percent specific for MS, but they’re pretty accurate,” she said.
“And so it may be that a person gets rescanned and does not meet the MRI criteria, it might be that the person develops a very atypical symptom that would not be expected with MS.”
Dr. Bruce Bebo, Chief Research and Medical Affairs Officer at The National MS Society also told Page Six exclusively, “We can’t speak to Christina Applegate’s specific situation. In general, symptoms often associated with MS, including numbness, tingling, fatigue, balance problems, weakness and vision changes, can also occur in other neurological, autoimmune and medical conditions.
“Because there is no single test for MS, clinicians must look at the complete picture, including symptoms, neurological examination findings, imaging and laboratory results, while also considering other possible explanations. The focus is always on reaching the most accurate diagnosis possible so people can receive the most appropriate care,” he said.
The “Married… with Children” alum revealed Tuesday on her “MeSsy” podcast that she recently learned she does not have MS after being diagnosed with the disease in 2021. Despite the news, the Emmy winner said her health has continued to deteriorate, and she still struggles with debilitating symptoms that have affected her ability to walk.
Applegate, who has been open about her painful health struggles over the years, admitted she was devastated rather than relieved when her doctor informed her that she did not have MS.
“[My doctor] came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS,’” the actress recalled through tears on her podcast. “I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.”