Negative association of C-reactive protein–albumin–lymphocyte index (CALLY index) with anemia: An analysis based on data from NHANES 1999 to 2010

Inflammation and anemia are closely linked. Studies on the relationship between anemia and the C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index, a novel inflammatory measure, are scarce. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate any potential associations between the CALLY index and anemia in the American population. There were 27,463 individuals in this retrospective cross-sectional investigation, which was based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 to 2010. A hemoglobin level of <13 g/dL in men and <12 g/dL in women was regarded as anemia. The association between the CALLY index and anemia was examined employing logistic regression, subgroup, restricted cubic spline (RCS), threshold effect, and receiver operating characteristic analysis. There were 27,463 individuals in our study, and 2141 (7.80%) of them suffered anemia. LnCALLY and anemia risk were found to be negatively correlated in a nonlinear L-shaped manner. After controlling for all other variables, lower LnCALLY levels were substantially linked to an increased risk of anemia (ORs = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.80-0.87, P < .0001), and LnCALLY showed good predictive ability for the risk of anemia (area under the curve = 0.791, 95% CI: 0.781-0.791). In addition, LnCALLY was superior to neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, systemic inflammatory response index and SII indices in predicting the risk of anemia. An elevated risk of anemia may be linked to lower LnCALLY. In addition, as compared to the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, systemic inflammatory response index, and SII indexes, LnCALLY had superior predictive performance.