Reason why women are often misdiagnosed with illnesses or conditions as Christina Applegate shares she doesn’t have MS

A doctor has explained why misdiagnosis remains a common issue in women’s healthcare, following actress Christina Applegate’s recent revelation that she was mistakenly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The comments come after Applegate shared the news earlier this week, prompting a discussion about the challenges women can face when seeking an accurate diagnosis.

The 54-year-old actress was diagnosed with MS, a chronic condition affecting the brain and spinal cord, in early 2021. Symptoms can include fatigue, vision problems, numbness and tingling, balance and coordination difficulties, muscle weakness, and bladder and bowel problems.

The Married... with Children star has since become an advocate for MS awareness, speaking candidly about her experience of living with the condition.

However, during a new episode of her MeSsy podcast on Tuesday (20 October), Applegate told her co-host, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, that she had recently been informed that her diagnosis was incorrect.

“She came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS’. I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.”

Women account for the majority of MS cases and are around two to three times more likely than men to develop the condition. According to WebMD, researchers believe this disparity could be linked to a combination of factors, including reproductive hormones such as oestrogen, genetic traits associated with the immune system, and broader trends in autoimmune diseases, which are generally more common in women.

Christina Applegate has raised awareness of MS and its symptoms (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

Dr Nikki Ramskill has spoken to Tyla about the historic ‘challenges’ in women’s healthcare and why obtaining an accurate diagnosis can sometimes be difficult.

“One of the biggest challenges in women’s healthcare is that much of our medical knowledge has been developed around the male body,” Dr Ramskill tells Tyla. “Women were woefully underrepresented in clinical research, and this has contributed to gaps in our understanding of how certain conditions present in women.

“Another issue is that women’s symptoms can frequently be blamed on stress, anxiety, hormonal changes or being overwhelmed, particularly during perimenopause and menopause. These factors can genuinely contribute to symptoms, but they shouldn’t automatically become the explanation without appropriate investigation.”

She adds: “I frequently see women who have spent months or even years trying to understand what is happening to their bodies after having been dismissed multiple times first.”

Dr Ramskill explains that misdiagnosis ‘varies enormously depending on the condition’, as well as the healthcare setting and how diagnostic errors are measured. However, she says ‘we know that diagnostic delays are a significant problem in several conditions that disproportionately affect women’.

Applegate recalled her reaction after being told she had been misdiagnosed (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

One example is endometriosis, a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it. This tissue can develop in areas such as the pelvis, on the ovaries and fallopian tubes, and on the surface of other organs, potentially causing inflammation, pain and scar tissue.

“Women can spend years experiencing debilitating pelvic pain before receiving an accurate diagnosis, often having been told that painful periods are normal,” Dr Ramskill says.

However, Dr Ramskill cautions against assuming that every delayed diagnosis means a doctor has made a mistake.

“Sometimes, it's really tough to figure out what's going on with our bodies. Certain health issues, like autoimmune diseases, thyroid problems, and some heart conditions, can be tricky to diagnose. Just because it takes a while to get a diagnosis, doesn't mean the doctor got it wrong. Some conditions are just hard to spot, especially when they're just starting out. It's not always easy to tell what's going on, and it might take some time and testing to get to the bottom of it.”

Dr Ramskill concludes: "The overall picture shows why we need better awareness of how illnesses present in women and why persistent, unexplained symptoms deserve proper follow-up."