Actor Christina Applegate said on Tuesday she had been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which doctors had attributed her symptoms to since 2021.
The actor, who gained fame in the sitcom "Married... with Children," said she continues to suffer debilitating symptoms and that learning of her misdiagnosis has left her "back at square one."
Applegate discussed the ordeal on her podcast, "MeSsy," with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has lived with MS for more than two decades.
"You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I'm better," she said.
Sigler had hosted the podcast solo for months while Applegate dealt with health issues, including a lengthy hospital stay.
Applegate previously described difficulty walking, balance problems, a lack of coordination and numbness in her extremities.
She said the diagnosis had provided clarity and a path forward, whereas having no explanation for her symptoms left her searching again.
"It's hard to say, but she came into my room and she said, 'Congratulations, you don't have MS,' Applegate said. "I was like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy."
"I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor's office. I can't walk from the car to the room. I'm still in this."
MS is an autoimmune neurodegenerative disease affecting nearly three million people worldwide. It can be difficult to diagnose, leading to misdiagnoses in a fifth of cases, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Applegate said the diagnosis had brought no relief from the symptoms that affect her.
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