Christina Applegate’s MS Misdiagnosis Sparks Wider Diagnosis Debate — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Christina Applegate disclosed on her podcast 'MeSsy' that a doctor told her she does not have MS, reversing a prior diagnosis she had lived with for years.
- Lindsay Karp endured 13 years of symptoms and misdiagnoses, including fibromyalgia, before receiving a definitive MS diagnosis in 2017 based on MRI, spinal tap, and exclusion of other conditions.
- Multiple sclerosis lacks a single diagnostic test and is diagnosed through exclusion, relying on symptoms, MRI findings, and spinal fluid analysis such as oligoclonal bands.
- Recent research from specialized MS centers suggests around 30% of patients referred for MS are eventually diagnosed with another condition, highlighting risks of misdiagnosis.
- Michael Levy, a neuroimmunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, noted Applegate’s age at diagnosis and lack of treatment response as factors prompting reevaluation.
- Autoimmune diseases like lupus, Lyme disease, vitamin B12 deficiency, neuromyelitis optica, and MOG antibody disease can mimic MS and must be ruled out during diagnosis.
Why it matters: For patients with neurological symptoms, a misdiagnosis can delay effective treatment for over a decade, as seen in Karp’s case, while Applegate’s reversal underscores that even confirmed diagnoses may be reconsidered when symptoms persist despite therapy, affecting how doctors apply diagnostic criteria.
Ask SkimNews
