Dermatology & Plastic Surgery Institute Outcomes

Of the patients treated in the Neuromuscular Center, 532 were found to have depression at the time of their initial office visits. At follow-up, depressive symptoms improved in 44% of patients, remained stable in 49.1%, and worsened in 7% (median duration between visits, 651 days; range, 91-5467 days). Depression is a treatable comorbidity in all patient groups in the long term, regardless of the neuromuscular diagnosis. The graph displays changes in the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score from initial visit to follow-up for the various neuromuscular conditions. Improvement in depressive symptoms occurred the most often (63.9%) in patients with neuromuscular junction disorders (median duration between visits, 1468 days; range, 105-5409 days) and the least often in patients with autonomic disorders (35.6%) (median duration between visits, 653.5 days; range, 94-5429 days). Depression was defined by a baseline PHQ-9 score of ≥ 10 at the time of the patient’s initial office visit. Clinically meaningful change was defined as a total point change ≥ 5. N = patients with PHQ-9 data available for 2 visits between 2010 and 2023 at least 90 days apart.¹