Actress Christina Applegate talks multiple sclerosis disease

Health

“Trapped in the darkness”: This is how actress Christina Applegate described her battle with multiple sclerosis (MS). The 52-year-old actress discussed her daily life with the disease on her personal podcast. “It feels very terminal, like a trap in deep darkness.”

Applegate is best known for her roles in the TV series “Married with Children” and “Samantha Who?”. In 2021, she first revealed her struggle with the disease and has since used her platforms to raise awareness and encourage others facing similar challenges.

On her podcast, which she co-hosts with fellow MS patient Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate admitted to feeling depressed and said, “I am trapped in darkness, something I haven’t felt for over 20 years.”

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease where white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the immune system, attack the myelin sheath (phospholipid fatty acids) that surrounds the central nervous system. Since this system is essential for transmitting neural information throughout the body, the ability of nerve cells to send signals is impaired, worsening as more cells are affected.

MS is the most common neurological disease causing disability among young people today. It typically manifests during a critical life period, between ages 20 and 40, and occurs twice as often in women. In Israel, about 5,000 people have been diagnosed with the disease, with approximately 100 new cases each year. Additionally, dozens of children suffer from MS.

The disease onset age is usually in the 20-40 year old group, women are twice as likely to have it compared to men. (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK, tobe24)

Symptoms of the disease include tingling sensations in the face and extremities, motor weakness in the arms and legs, various forms of paralysis, sensory disturbances, blurred vision and coordination issues between the eyes, balance problems, and impaired bladder control.

Promising breakthroughs

In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have been developing innovative treatments, including antibodies that bind to different immune system components and prevent them from destroying the myelin. Patients experience significant symptom relief and disease progression halts, sometimes preventing disability.

Legendary basketball coach David Blatt also suffers from a specific type of MS known as PPMS. He is undergoing advanced biological treatment, which, while not repairing the damaged areas, prevents further deterioration. The medication is administered intravenously every few months in the early stages of the disease, alongside physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to strengthen muscle power.

However, patients may still face disability within 15 to 20 years of disease onset and are at risk of death from pressure sore infections and respiratory failure.

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