Cognıtıve Assessment of Young Adults Before and After Inıtıatıon of Combınatıon Antıretrovıral Therapy

Abstract Background: This study aimed to evaluate cognitive functions and the factors affecting them in naive HIV-positive patients by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test before and after the initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy. Method: HIV-positive, treatment-naive patients monitored between January-June 2017 were included in the study. MoCA test was performed at the beginning and the 6th month of the treatment.Findings: Forty male patients were included in the study. The mean age was calculated as 29.1±4.0. When the factors affecting the MoCA score were examined, there was a significant relationship between the education level and the MoCA score. Smoking ,alcohol and substance did not have a meaningful impact on baseline MoCA values. A significant correlation was found between CD4 count and HIV RNA level and attention function. There was a significant increase in the total MoCA score and the MoCA subgroup scores at the end of the 6th month of the treatmentConclusion: MoCA test is one of the practical tests that can be applied in a short time period and it was found useful in evaluating the changes in the cognitive functions of HIV positive patients during antiretroviral treatment.