# Christina Applegate reveals MS misdiagnosis

> Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with MS for years, symptoms persist.
- Title: Christina Applegate reveals MS misdiagnosis · Newsweek
- Summary: Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with MS for years, symptoms persist. christina applegate, multiple sclerosis, ms · reported by Newsweek.
- Keywords: christina applegate, multiple sclerosis, misdiagnosis, dead to me, national multiple sclerosis society, neurology, Christina, Applegate, reveals, Newsweek
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/ms-symptoms-explained-as-christina-applegate-shares-misdiagnosis-12594490
- Published: 2026-10-20T16:55:27+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: christina applegate, multiple sclerosis, ms, misdiagnosis, dead to me, national multiple sclerosis society, neurology
## Christina Applegate's MS diagnosis
Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than five years after publicly announcing that she had been diagnosed with the autoimmune neurological disease.
## Applegate's current symptoms
Applegate says her debilitating symptoms have not disappeared and have in some respects gotten worse.
## MS diagnosis challenges
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says there is no single symptom, physical finding or laboratory test that can by itself prove someone has multiple sclerosis.
## Diagnostic process
Doctors look for evidence of damage in different areas of the central nervous system and may need to identify lesions with characteristics associated with MS.
## Revised diagnostic criteria
The McDonald criteria were revised in 2024 and published in The Lancet Neurology in 2:025.
## Misdiagnosis rates
A 2019 study found up to 19 percent of those diagnosed with MS may have been misdiagnosed.
## Applegate's experience
Applegate says her doctor told her she does not have MS after her B-cell count did not change after stopping treatment.
## Symptoms persist
Applegate continues to experience every symptom of someone with MS and uses wheelchairs when going to doctor's offices.
## Emotional impact
Applegate says the change in diagnosis has taken an emotional toll and she has taken time away from MeSsy to process the development.
## Key takeaway

Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than five years after her diagnosis, but her symptoms have worsened.