EXPRESS: Exploring the association between hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older patients with osteoarthritis

Integrating hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelets (HALP) scores can simultaneously reflect systemic inflammation and nutritional status. Some evidence suggests its prognostic value in certain malignancies, however, the impact of HALP on individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) who are middle-aged and older remains unknown. This retrospective cohort study included 3566 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2018. The study endpoint was the all-cause mortality of OA patients. Weighted Cox models were used to assess the relationship between HALP score and all-cause mortality. Subgroup analyses stratified by age, gender, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease were conducted. After the follow-up was terminated, 920 participants experienced all-cause mortality, and 2646 participants survived. After adjusting for covariates, the continuous analysis revealed an inverse association between HALP score and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.83–0.95). The categorical analysis indicated that the lowest quartile of HALP score was related to higher all-cause mortality by using the highest quartile of HALP score as a reference (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.18–1.81). The association between HALP score with lowest quartile and all-cause mortality remained significant across different subgroups. This study suggested that HALP score was linked with all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older individuals diagnosed with OA, thereby indicating its potential as a reliable prognostic indicator for this patient population.