Christina Applegate reveals multiple sclerosis misdiagnosis
- Actress Christina Applegate discovered she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a revelation shared during an Oct.
- Applegate initially received her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2021 following extensive testing, which included brain and spinal MRIs, a spinal tap, and the discovery of approximately 30 lesions...
- Marwa Kaisey, an associate professor of neurology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, noted on a follow-up "MeSsy" podcast episode that multiple sclerosis misdiagnosis is fairly common.
Actress Christina Applegate discovered she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a revelation shared during an Oct. 20 episode of her podcast, “MeSsy.” Applegate, 54, stated that she experienced a complete state of shock when her physician stopped her regular infusions to monitor her B cells and found no changes in them, prompting a deeper review of her condition that led to the reversal.
Diagnostic Findings and the Central Vein Sign
Applegate initially received her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2021 following extensive testing, which included brain and spinal MRIs, a spinal tap, and the discovery of approximately 30 lesions on her brain. However, after additional brain scans, her neurologist identified a different feature — which she described as a “string” — that led to the conclusion that she did not have the disease, leaving her back at square one with symptoms that have worsened in some ways.
Dr. Marwa Kaisey, an associate professor of neurology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, noted on a follow-up “MeSsy” podcast episode that multiple sclerosis misdiagnosis is fairly common. In a study of patients referred to multiple sclerosis clinics at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai, Kaisey found that nearly one in five patients who arrived with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis ultimately did not have the condition, with some having carried the diagnosis for decades.
To help prevent such errors, newer imaging techniques like the central vein sign look for small blood vessels running through the center of lesions, a characteristic associated with multiple sclerosis. Richard Ransohoff, a Boston-based neurologist who sits on the Board of Directors for the American Brain Foundation, called the central vein sign a real step forward in distinguishing multiple sclerosis lesions from other white matter abnormalities.
Alternative Conditions That Mimic Symptoms
Because there is no single diagnostic test for multiple sclerosis, doctors rely on a list of criteria, some of which remain subjective, that can lead to confusion with other conditions displaying similar white spots on MRIs. Ransohoff explained that classic early multiple sclerosis symptoms appear relatively quickly, persist for weeks, and then recede, making any condition producing a similar pattern a potential mimic.
Specialized Care and Second Opinions
To reduce the risk of misdiagnosis, Ransohoff recommends that anyone receiving a multiple sclerosis diagnosis seek evaluation from a specialist at a dedicated center who has developed pattern recognition through frequent exposure to the disease. Ransohoff noted that treatment options have expanded significantly over his career, growing from virtually no therapies to more than 20 medications today.