Prognostic value of the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score for short-term mortality in dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology.

Meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology (MUE) is a common inflammatory central nervous system disease in dogs and is associated with a poor prognosis. The first 3 months post-diagnosis represent a critical prognostic window, as most mortalities occur within this period. The hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score has emerged as a novel prognostic tool for predicting short-term mortality in various human diseases. However, its utility has not yet been evaluated in dogs with MUE. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the HALP score for three-month and one-year mortality in 36 dogs diagnosed with MUE. The HALP score was significantly higher in survivors than in non-survivors at both the three-month and one-year time points. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated good predictive accuracy, with an area under the curve of 0.79 for three-month and 0.80 for one-year mortality. An optimal cut-off of 12.25 yielded 50.0% sensitivity and 95.0% specificity for predicting three-month mortality. For one-year mortality, a cut-off of 34.33 yielded 95.2% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity. Dogs with a HALP score ≤ 12.25 had a significantly shorter median survival time (31 days) than those with a score > 12.25 (283 days). Similarly, a score ≤ 34.33 was associated with a shorter median survival time (67.5 days) compared to those with a score > 34.33 (971 days). These findings suggest that the HALP score is a valuable, non-invasive indicator for risk stratification and predicting short-term mortality in dogs with MUE.