A Low HALP score is an independent predictor of coronary artery ectasia: a retrospective comparative study

We aimed to determine whether the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score is independently associated with the presence and angiographic severity of coronary artery ectasia (CAE), and to assess its potential role as a diagnostic inflammatory–nutritional biomarker in this population. In this retrospective, single-center study, the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) scores were calculated using routine laboratory parameters obtained at admission. Logistic regression models were constructed to identify independent predictors of CAE. Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic performance of the HALP score, and the association between the HALP score and the angiographic extent of CAE was evaluated. Among 628 patients (290 CAE, 338 controls), the median HALP score was significantly lower in the CAE group (4.14 vs. 4.99, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified a lower HALP score as an independent predictor of CAE (OR: 0.752, 95% CI: 0.655–0.865, p < 0.001). A HALP score of 4.569 predicted CAE with 60.1% sensitivity and 57.2% specificity (AUC: 0.650). The score was not associated with the angiographic extent of CAE ( p = 0.461). In conclusion, a low HALP score is significantly and independently associated with the presence of coronary artery ectasia in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease, reflecting the underlying systemic inflammatory and nutritional milieu. This easily obtainable index may serve as a useful complementary biomarker for assessing inflammatory burden in CAE patients, although further large-scale prospective studies are warranted to confirm its prognostic and clinical utility. Not applicable. This study is a retrospective observational analysis and does not report the results of a health care intervention.