The hemoglobin-albumin-lymphocyte-platelet (HALP) score as a prognostic factor in patients with pneumonia aged 75 years and older.

Background: The incidence of pneumonia, including aspiration pneumonia, increases with age. In older adults, not only the severity of pneumonia but individual patient differences have a significant impact on the course of the disease; however, the prognostic factors and their thresholds remain unclear. The hemoglobin-albumin-lymphocyte-platelet (HALP) score has recently been used as a prognostic factor in cancer research. We hypothesized that the HALP score could be used to predict the prognosis of pneumonia in older adults. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed the clinical profiles of patients aged ≥75 years who were hospitalized with pneumonia at Koto Hospital, Tokyo, between January 2021 and December 2022. Patient background, age, sex, comorbidities, speech therapy intervention, oral intake of proton pump inhibitors, use of dentures, and laboratory findings calculated from parameters such as the serum albumin level, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and HALP score, were analyzed. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate their effects on 90-day mortality outcomes. Results: In total, 280 patients with a median age of 85 years were included in this study. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, male sex and a HALP score below 30 were associated with poor prognosis in terms of 90-day mortality. Conclusions: The HALP score may be useful in predicting 90-day mortality in older adult patients with pneumonia.