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home / diseases & conditions / multiple sclerosis

christina applegate adds ‘fancy’ walking sticks to her wardrobe after multiple sclerosis diagnosis 

the emmy award winner explained on twitter that 'walking sticks are now part of my new normal.'

by karen hawthorne

oct 28 2022
read time 4 minute read
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does christina applegate have multiple sclerosis?
christina applegate publicly announced her diagnosis of ms on twitter in august 2021, a few months following her diagnosis: reuters/monica almeida

actor christina applegate, 50, isn’t letting her multiple sclerosis (ms) stop her from attending special events — or dressing up for the occasion, according to people magazine.

the emmy award-winner showed off her selection of “fancy” walking canes that she might use on the red carpet to her 1.5 million twitter followers , writing that she “has a very important ceremony coming up.”

“this will be my first time out since being diagnosed with ms,” applegate wrote. “walking sticks are now part of my new normal.”

the “dead to me” star has an everyday favourite activator cane, designed by an occupational therapist. while she says she uses and loves the activator , she wanted a special cane for the event. 

christina applegate shared multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2021 

applegate publicly announced her diagnosis of ms on twitter in august 2021, a few months following her diagnosis: 

“it’s been a strange journey,” she wrote on twitter . “but i have been so supported by people that i know who also have this condition. it’s been a tough road. but as we all know, the road keeps going.”

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many of the celebrities she has worked with have shown love and support, including actor selma blair, 50, who has widely shared her own struggles with the disease, people magazine reports . blair made the decision to leave the tv competition on “dancing with the stars” because an mri on her knee revealed the fragility of her bones.

what is multiple sclerosis?

ms is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that can impact the functioning of a patient’s memory, balance, eyesight, and mobility, according to the ms society of canada . as an episodic disability, the severity and duration of ms symptoms can vary, meaning patients may experience rapid progression of the disease followed by periods of wellness.

the disease attacks myelin: the protective covering of nerves, necessary for the transmission of impulses nerves use to communicate. if the damage to myelin is significant, these impulses may be completely disrupted and the nerves themselves may be irreparably damaged.

symptoms are unpredictable 

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the debilitating effects of ms can be physical and emotional, with unpredictable symptoms of extreme fatigue, weakness, tingling, lack of coordination, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder problems, cognitive challenges and mood changes.

anthony feinstein, a neuropsychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at the university of toronto, writes in healthy debate that ms can affect a wide range of behaviours. rates of depression and anxiety disorders are high among patients he has seen in his clinic.

“one of the most challenging clinical conditions that i see relates to a personality change,” feinstein writes. “medical professionals tend to overlook depression and focus instead on the physical disabilities that hinder daily life. moreover, certain symptoms of depression, like fatigue and insomnia, can overlap with those of ms and are therefore easily missed.”
one of his patients, for example, changed from an outgoing, highly social individual to someone who has lost interest and motivation in many aspects of his life, including work and his maintaining his appearance. another patient, whose husband described as formerly sociable and pleasant, had become increasing irritable with a short fuse.

“this unraveling (sic.) of personality is not reversible. it reflects the presence of brain damage in key regions that determine one’s behaviour,” feinstein writes. 

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canada has one of the highest rates of ms 

the ms society of canada notes that canada has one of the highest rates of the disease, with approximately 90,000 canadians living with ms. about 60 per cent of adults diagnosed are between age 20 and 49, although younger children and older adults are also at risk. the average age of an ms diagnosis is 43, with women making up 75 per cent of people living with ms in canada.

scientists haven’t discovered the cause for ms, or a cure, but research continues to advance understanding of the disease and ways to repair the damage. the ms society of canada, for example, keeps patients informed about developments and opportunities to participate in clinical trials , and has a research foundation to fund investigations like the current stem cell trial .

in europe, researchers of the human brain project have recently made headlines by developing a new method for measuring brain activity that may help ms patients, as neuroscience reports . they can examine signalling delays caused by damage to myelin by looking at unprompted brain bursts of activity and measuring the time it takes a signal to connect any two brain areas. the measurements are compared to healthy brain activity without myelin damage.

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“by not interfering directly with the signal, we can in a few minutes estimate the delay between most pairs of brain regions and then integrate it with what the mri scans are showing us,” pierpaolo sorrentino, lead author of the study, told neuroscience.

the findings, published in the journal of neuroscience , also chart the way for more precise brain modelling that will help to improve predictive and diagnostic tools for doctors and their patients.

 
karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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karen hawthorne
karen hawthorne

karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto as a freelancer, and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

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