Prognostic value of the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score in cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Current evidence reveals that the Hemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte, and Platelet (HALP) score demonstrates good accuracy in forecasting cardiovascular disease (CVD). This research seeks to examine the link between the HALP score and short-term mortality (STM) and long-term mortality among CVD patients and to assess its diagnostic performance. METHODS: Embase, SinoMed, Web of Science, VIP, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, CNKI, and PubMed were searched up to December 10, 2025. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were employed to appraise the quality of enrolled studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted. Sensitivity and specificity were analyzed using a bivariate model. The forest plots and the summary receiver operating characteristic curve were plotted. Subgroup analyses were performed to assess heterogeneity from cutoffs, disease types, countries, and sample sizes. RESULTS: Thirteen studies involving 10,639 CVD patients were included. The results demonstrated that for every unit rise in the HALP score, the risk of STM in patients with CVD declined by 0.31 times (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.56-0.86), and the risk of long-term mortality decreased by 0.02 times (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99). Meanwhile, the HALP score showed good accuracy in predicting STM in CVD patients (sensitivity: 0.85; specificity: 0.59, AUC: 0.84). CONCLUSION: HALP score shows promise as a biomarker for STM in CVD patients. However, its predictive value for long-term mortality is limited. Further research is needed to confirm its diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility for both mortality outcomes.