Association between serum transferrin receptor and Parkinson's disease: A large cross-sectional study from NHANES

Background Parkinson's disease(PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative diorders with a rising incidence. This study aims to investigate the relationship between iron metabolism biomarkers and the risk of PD. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed on 4,496 adults using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (2005–2010, 2015–2018), including 4,496 adult participants. The logistic regression analysis was employed to detect the relationship between serum transferrin receptor(TFR) and PD. In addition, smooth curve fitting method was applied to evaluate the dose-response relationship. Sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and intergroup interaction tests were conducted to evaluate the robustness of the relationship. Results Among the 4496 participants, 74 were diagnosed with PD, while 4,422 were non-PD. In both unadjusted and adjusted covariate models, multivariate logistic regression revealed a significant positive correlation between the elevated TFR and PD risk (P < 0.05). Smooth curve fitting analysis indicated gradual increase in PD risk with rising TFR concentrations.Subgroup analyses and interaction tests demonstrated that this association remained consistent regardless of BMI, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoke status, drink, and PA (all interaction P > 0.05). Sensitivity analysis further supported the correlation. Conclusion Higher serum TFR levels are independently correlated with increased risk of PD,suggesting a potential role in early PD prediction.Conversely, maintaining lower TFR level might reduce the risk of PD onset.These finding highlights the importance of iron metabolism in PD pathogenesis and deserve further longitudinal investigation.