Trends in biological and genetic markers of gluten-related disorders research

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the distribution and progress of the scientific production on biological and genetic markers of gluten-related disorders (BGM-GRD), supporting by a scientometric analysis. Emerging trends were mapped using CiteSpace. 1,050 studies were retrieved from Web of Science (1945-2022), of which 452 were eligible. Early 90s, research started to rise significantly until now. Celiac disease (CD) was the most studied. Studies were performed in patients with 53 different diseases or conditions, mainly type 1 diabetes mellitus (24.1%). Scientific production increased by 2.4 times from 2001-2021, while the citations numbers quintupled, which reflects the high quality of research (H-index of 56). Italy, USA and Spain stood out in productivity; USA was the core of the network of the largest and oldest cluster of countries. Australia, Germany, Israel and Poland stood out in quality. Eighteen from 817 institutions produced 46.7% of studies. Recently, the main interests are in the effect of environmental on metabolic pathways, determination of the prevalence and diagnosis of CD, mainly in children, as well as risk assessment and validation of biomarkers for CD diagnosis, with a focus on non-invasive methods.