Global research trends in the field of liver cirrhosis from 2011 to 2020: A visualised and bibliometric study

Abstract

Background: Liver cirrhosis is the leading cause of liver-related mortality worldwide. It is currently a global health challenge.

Aim: This research intended to explore and analyse research trends and frontiers in this field during the last 10 years, providing new inspiration for clinical decision-making and scientific research.

Methods: Publications on hepatic cirrhosis research were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on April 4, 2021. Bibliometric visualisation was conducted through VOSviewer and CiteSpace.

Results: The analytic research was based on original articles and reviews. A total of 7775 records of hepatic cirrhosis published from 2011 to 2020 were retrieved. In the past ten years, the number of related annual publications has increased significantly, especially in the United States and China. All publications were distributed among 109 countries. The United States contributed the most (21.95%) and was consistently the leading driving force, with a solid academic reputation in this area. The University of Barcelona distributed the most related articles (177 articles) and was cited the most frequently. The Journal of Hepatology ranked third in the top 10 journals, which has the highest impact factor (impact factor 2019 = 20.582). Jasmohan S. Bajaj was the most productive author (72 articles). Burst keywords (e.g., sofosbuvir, burden, care, sarcopenia, chronic liver failure, human gut microbiome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) and a succession of reference citation bursts have provided clues about research frontiers in recent years.

Conclusion: This study identified developing trends in the evolution of liver cirrhosis to provide new inspiration for researchers.

Keywords: Bibliometric research; CiteSpace; Liver cirrhosis; Research frontiers; VOSviewer; Visualization.