Diagnostic Value of HALP Score in Detecting Diabetic Nephropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score has been used to predict the prognosis in several types of cancers for the last few years. We aimed to reveal whether HALP score has high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of diabetic nephropathy. Methods A cross-sectional study developed in Abant Izzet Baysal University Hospital in Bolu, Türkiye. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) were enrolled in the study. Study cohort included patients with diabetic nephropathy and patients without diabetic nephropathy. Pregnant women, subjects with malignancy, active infections conditions, and rheumatologic or hematologic diseases were excluded. We retrospectively analyzed and compared the HALP scores of the type 2 DM patients with and without diabetic nephropathy. Moreover, we sought correlation between HALP score and fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Results A total of 356 DM patients, 162 with nephropathy and 194 without nephropathy were included in the study. The HALP score was 44.86 (4.5–119.9) in the nephropathic group, while it was 55.14 (13.2–173.7) in the nonnephropathic group (p < 0.001). HALP score was negatively correlated with HbA1c (r = –0.66, p = 0.003) and fasting glucose (r = –0.65, p = 0.002), while positive correlation was found between HALP score and eGFR (r = 0.13, p = 0.02). HALP score lower than 45.9% have 73% sensitivity and 52% specificity in detecting diabetic nephropathy (area under the curve: 0.64, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval: 0.59–0.70). Conclusion We suggest that HALP score can become a simple and easy to assess marker for diabetic nephropathy in addition to standard tests.