Original article / research
Year : 2025 Month : January-March Volume : 14 Issue : 1 Page : PO14 - PO19

Prognostic Significance of the HALP Index in Predicting Mortality in COVID-19 Hospitalisations: A Retrospective Cohort Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India
 
Correspondence Address :
Uksim Qadri,
Hyderpora, Srinagar-190014, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
E-mail: uksimqadri6@gmail.com
Introduction: Early identification of critically ill Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients is crucial for recognising those at high-risk of poor outcomes. Both inflammation and nutritional status play pivotal roles in the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Systemic inflammatory markers derived from peripheral blood cells, such as the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), derived NLR (dNLR), and the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII), have been widely studied and shown to predict the prognosis of COVID-19. The Haemoglobin Albumin Lymphocyte Platelet (HALP) index, a novel biomarker, combines indicators of systemic inflammation and nutritional health-both essential in forecasting mortality risk in patients with COVID-19.

Aim: To assess the prognostic significance of the HALP index in predicting mortality in COVID-19 hospitalisations.

Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Department of General Medicine, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India for a period of three months from May 2021 to July 2021 and involved 129 patients hospitalised with COVID-19. Key laboratory values-namely HALP were recorded upon admission. Chi-square test and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the impact of HALP on survival in COVID-19 patients.

Results: Out of a total of 129 patients, the majority of the patients in present study were males, accounting for 66.6%. The mean age of the cohort was 60.9±12.02 years, and the average duration of hospitalisation was 12.15±8.04 days. A 72% of the cases recovered from the illness. A notably high in-hospital mortality rate of 27% was observed. An analysis of hospital stay durations revealed a notably extended length of stay for patients in the low HALP group compared to those in the high HALP group, with a t-value of 5.312 and a p-value of <0.001. Significant associations were also found with lymphocyte, platelet, and neutrophil counts, with p-values of 0.036, 0.016, and <0.001, respectively.

Conclusion: The findings of present study highlight the prognostic significance of the HALP index in patients hospitalised with COVID-19. A low HALP index was associated with prolonged hospital stays and higher in-hospital mortality, emphasising its utility as a predictor of poor outcomes.
 
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