The 'whole landscape' of research on systemic sclerosis over the past 73 years

Meng-Di Zhang; Wan-Ying Huang; Jia-Yuan Luo; Rong-Quan He; Zhi-Guang Huang; Jian-Di Li; Fang Qin; Gang Chen; Ling Lei

doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2024.103538

The 'whole landscape' of research on systemic sclerosis over the past 73 years

Autoimmun Rev. 2024 Mar 29;23(5):103538. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2024.103538. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Meng-Di Zhang¹, Wan-Ying Huang¹, Jia-Yuan Luo¹, Rong-Quan He², Zhi-Guang Huang¹, Jian-Di Li¹, Fang Qin³, Gang Chen⁴, Ling Lei³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 6, Shuangyong Road, 530021 Nanning, PR China.
² Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 6, Shuangyong Road, 530021 Nanning, PR China.
³ Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 6, Shuangyong Road, 530021 Nanning, PR China.
⁴ Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 6, Shuangyong Road, 530021 Nanning, PR China. Electronic address: chengang@gxmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38556034
DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2024.103538

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to analyse existing research on systemic sclerosis (SSc) conducted over the past 73 years to develop an essential reference for a comprehensive and objective understanding of this field of inquiry.

Methods: Using the Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, and Scopus databases as data sources for the bibliometric analysis, we searched for published literature related to SSc over the past 73 years. The Bibliometrix package was used to analyse key bibliometric indicators, such as annual publication volume, countries, journals, author contributions, and research hotspots.

Results: From 1970 to 2022, the number of SSc articles steadily increased, reaching its peak in 2020-2022, with approximately 1200 papers published in each of these three years. Matucci-Cerinic et al.'s team published the most articles (425). The United States (11,282), Italy (7027), and France (5226) were the most predominant contexts. The most influential scholars in the field were Denton, Leroy, Steen, and Khanna, with H-indices of 86, 84, and 83, respectively. Arthritis and Rheumatism was the most influential journal in this field (H-index 142). High-frequency keywords in the SSc field included fibrosis (738), inflammation (242), vasculopathy (145), fibroblasts (120), and autoantibodies (118) with respect to pathogenesis, and interstitial lung disease (ILD, 708), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, 696), and Raynaud's phenomenon (326) with regards to clinical manifestations.

Conclusion: In the past three years, SSc research has entered a period of rapid development, mainly driven by research institutions in Europe and the United States. The most influential journal has been Arthritis and Rheumatism, and autoimmune aspects, vasculopathy, fibrogenesis, PAH, and ILD remain the focus of current research and indicate trends in future research.

Keywords: Bibliometrics; Interstitial lung disease; Pulmonary arterial hypertension; Research hotspots; Systemic sclerosis.

Publication types

Review