Can the HALP Score Be Predictive in Different Clinical Stages of Diabetes?

Background: The Hemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte, Platelet (HALP) score is a novel biomarker integrating routine laboratory parameters to assess a patient’s immune nutritional status. Integrating the HALP score into routine diabetes management could help stratify patients based on their risk of complications and guide treatment strategies accordingly. For example, a patient with a low HALP score presenting to a clinic might be flagged for immediate nutritional support and more frequent monitoring of inflammatory markers. In contrast, those with higher scores could follow standard care protocols. This study investigated the potential of the HALP score as a prognostic biomarker by evaluating its correlation with clinical and laboratory parameters between diabetic patients and healthy controls. Method: A total of 133 participants, comprising 96 diabetic patients and 37 healthy individuals were included in the study. Participants were divided into four groups: control (n=37), prediabetes (n=37), diabetes (=30), and complicated diabetes (n=29). Comprehensive demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected, and the HALP score was calculated as hemoglobin × albumin × lymphocyte count/platelet count. The HALP score was calculated and its relationship with various parameters was analyzed using Spearman correlation and ROC analysis. Results: The study found significant differences in HALP scores between the groups; the highest score was observed in the prediabetes group at 49 (18-101), while the lowest score was in the complicated diabetes group at 39 (13-101). There was no significant difference in HALP scores between genders. A weak negative correlation was found between age and HALP score. Significant correlations were identified between HALP scores and parameters such as albumin, hemoglobin, lymphocytes, BUN, CRP, and HbA1c. ROC analysis demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy of low HALP scores in identifying complicated diabetes, with AUC> 0.7 (p< 0.003). Among comorbidities, only the anemic group had a significantly lower HALP score of 28 compared to 50 in the non-anemic group (p= 0.026). Conclusion: This study underscores the HALP score’s potential as a powerful prognostic biomarker for diabetes, offering a cost-effective and readily accessible tool for clinical stratification. Its significant correlations with disease severity, inflammatory markers, and nutritional parameters position it as an indispensable addition to the diagnostic arsenal for diabetes management. Future research, including longitudinal studies, is warranted to validate these findings and establish standardized clinical applications.