Mapping the Knowledge Landscape of Atopic Dermatitis and Allergic Rhinitis Comorbidity: A Bibliometrics Study

Summary

Atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis are common comorbid conditions, yet research on their co-occurrence remains to be fully elucidated. This study aims to employ a bibliometric approach to map the knowledge structure, identify research hotspots, and trace the evolving trends in this field.

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic rhinitis (AR) are common allergic diseases that frequently co-occur, sharing common underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. This study retrieved comorbidity-related publications on AD and AR from the Web of Science (WOS) database over the past decade. Bibliometric analysis was performed using software tools including Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Scimago Graphica to examine countries, research institutions, journals, authors, and keywords. The results indicate that a total of 1571 relevant publications were published in the past 10 years, showing a fluctuating upward trend. The United States contributed the most publications (244 articles), cluster analysis identified 3 major research hubs, represented by the United States, China, and Germany. In terms of research institutions, China Medical University was the most productive (42 publications). Cluster analysis revealed 4 primary institutional research centers, represented by the University of Zurich, China Medical University, Seoul National University, and the University of Colorado. Among journals, Allergy published the most articles (56), while the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology demonstrated the strongest academic influence, with an average of 78.77 citations per article. Regarding authors, Akdis, Cezmi A., had the highest output (15 publications), while Irvine, Alan D., exhibited the strongest impact, with a total citation count of 2711. Keyword analysis identified 11 clusters, which were primarily associated with immune regulation. This protocol provides researchers with an effective strategy to identify potential research gaps and guide future studies in these interrelated allergic diseases.

Introduction

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) and Allergic Rhinitis (AR) are two common chronic inflammatory allergic diseases, which together form the core components of the atopic march^1,2,3. Atopic Dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease associated with a genetic predisposition to allergy, characterized by impaired skin barrier function, immune dysregulation, and intense pruritus^4,5. Allergic rhinitis is an IgE-mediated chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa in response to environmental allergens, typically presenting with na....

Protocol

1. Literature search and acquisition

1. Access the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) database (https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/).
2. Enter the terms "Atopic Dermatitis" and "Allergic Rhinitis" separately to retrieve their respective controlled vocabulary terms and subheadings.
3. Based on the identified MeSH terms and subheadings, formulate a comprehensive search strategy.
4. Navigate to the Web of Science (WoS) database (https://www.webofscience.com/wos/). Select the "Advanced Search" option.
5. Input the following search strategy into the query box: TS=("Atopic ....

Results

Over the past decade, 1,571 articles on atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis have been published. The annual publication volume showed an overall upward trend, while citation frequency demonstrated steady growth (Figure 1). In terms of countries, the United States published the most articles (244). Further visualization of research clusters and collaborative networks among countries revealed three major national research clusters, represented by the United States, China, and Germany. The .......

Discussion

The bibliometric analysis conducted in this study provides a comprehensive mapping of the research landscape on the comorbidity between AD and AR. This approach not only highlights global research trends but also identifies key contributors, emerging themes, and potential future directions for research in this important field.

Over the past decade, publications on the comorbidity of AD and AR have shown a fluctuating upward trend, reflecting growing global interest in this field. However, afte.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
CiteSpace	Chaomei Chen, Drexel University	CiteSpace 6.2.R4 (64-bit) beta Basic	Used for keyword co-occurrence analysis, cluster analysis, timeline visualization, and burst detection to identify research hotspots and thematic evolution.
Scimago Graphica	Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)	Scimago Graphica Setup 1.0.49	Used to visualize national collaboration networks and generate world maps based on VOSviewer output data.
VOSviewer	Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands	VOSviewer version 1.6.19	Used to construct and visualize collaboration networks for countries, institutions, and authors, as well as journal citation analysis.