| Objective To explore the relationship between serum ferritin and femoral neck strength index in postmenopausal women. Methods We selected 116 perimenopausal women who were present in our hospital from July 2014 to December 2017 to participate in this study. Geometric bone structure properties, including hip axis length (HAL) and femur neck width (FNW), were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans and were combined with bone mineral density (BMD), body weight, and height to create composite indices of femur neck strength relative to load in three different failure models, compression (CSI), bending (BSI), and impact strength indices (ISI). Results After adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), lifestyle factors, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, calcium and phosphorus intake, diabetes, and menopause status, multiple regression analyses revealed that serum ferritin was inversely associated with BMD values at the lumbar spine and femur neck and the cortical thickness of the femur neck. Importantly, in all adjustment models, higher serum ferritin was consistently associated with the lower values for all three femur neck composite indices, such as CSI, BSI, and ISI (P<0.05). Conclusion The results of the study suggest that the increase in systemic iron stores reflected by high serum ferritin may be related to a decrease in bone strength relative to the load. |