Research trends in ulcerative colitis: A bibliometric and visualized study from 2011 to 2021

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Immunology
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with unclear etiology and pathogenesis.
• Despite extensive research, understanding UC's initiating events and disease mechanisms remains challenging.
• Evaluating scientific impact and identifying research foci in UC is complex due to a large publication volume.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the global growth of ulcerative colitis (UC) research output.
• To analyze research area patterns and identify emerging trends in UC studies.
• To evaluate the scientific landscape and collaborations in UC research.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 5,088 UC-related publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (2011-2021).
• Knowledge mapping using CiteSpace and VOSviewer to analyze collaborations and research hotspots.
• Data visualization using Microsoft Office Excel 2019 for publication trends.

Main Results:

• China led in publications (22.5%), with Univ Calif San Diego as the most productive institution.
• William J Sandborn and Toshifumi Hibi were highly cited authors.
• Key research topics included vedolizumab, tofacitinib, *Faecalibacterium prausnitzii*, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), TLR4, and NLRP3 inflammasome.

Conclusions:

• High-impact UC research provides a foundation for evidence-based practice.
• UC therapy is advancing towards personalized and precision medicine approaches.
• Clinical application of FMT, anti-integrin antibodies, JAK inhibitors, and anti-TNF drugs is expected to increase.