Mapping themes, trends, and knowledge structure of Behcet syndrome: a bibliometric analysis from 2010 to 2021

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study employed bibliometric analysis to examine the current literature on Behcet Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder with complex pathophysiology and inadequate therapeutic options. The researchers collected 3,462 publications related to Behcet Syndrome from 2010 to 2021 via PubMed and conducted co-word and social network analyses to identify research hotspots and potential future directions. The co-word analysis produced a bibliographic data matrix, which revealed 72 high-frequency medical topic title (MeSH) terms. Using repeated dichotomy in the gCLUTO software, the researchers created a visualization matrix that classified the hot topics into six categories over the 12-year study period. The first quadrant contained six mature and well-developed research topics, including biological therapy, immunosuppressive agents, clinical manifestations, complications of Behcet Syndrome, Behcet Syndrome diagnosis, and aneurysm etiology and therapy. The third quadrant comprised four research topics with potential for growth, including Behcet Syndrome genetics and polymorphism, immunosuppressive agents, biological therapy and heart diseases, and thrombosis etiology. The fourth quadrant encompassed the pathophysiology of and quality of life in Behcet Syndrome as well as psychology. In the social network analysis, the researchers identified potential hotspots based on subject keywords close to the network’s edge. These included genetic association studies, antibodies, genetic predisposition to disease/genetics, and monoclonal and humanized therapeutic use. Overall, this study’s bibliometric analysis of Behcet Syndrome literature from the past 12 years identified unexplored subjects and developing hot spots that could lead to potential research directions for Behcet Syndrome.