Hypertension Research in Pakistan: A Scientometric Analysis of Two Decades (2003-2022)

Hypertension is a highly prevalent chronic disease that leads to a significant number of deaths and disabilities as a consequence of cardiovascular complications. However, there is insufficient information regarding research trends and performance assessments from South Asian countries, including Pakistan. In this review, we analyzed research data related to hypertension from Pakistan over the last 20 years (2003-2022). We used the Web of Science (WoS) database to retrieve research data related to hypertension from Pakistan, and then applied scientometric analysis using the "R-Bibliometrix" package. An extensive range of indicators was studied to determine the quality and quantity of these hypertension-related publications. A total of 4,008 research articles from 891 sources were extracted through WoS over the last 20 years (2003-2022). There was a continuous growth in the number of research articles, with relatively more increase observed from 2012, and maximum output in 2021. Among 16,855 authors contributing from 67 countries, three authors had >50 publications and five had >1,500 citations. The country's leading affiliation was the Aga Khan University which showed networking trends with international institutes while the other national universities restricted their institutional partnerships to the provincial or city level. The Higher Education Commission was the only local sponsoring institute among the top funding sources. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences was the leading and most consistent source, whereas hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity were the most frequently used keywords. This review provides a comprehensive account of hypertension-related research productivity from Pakistan. Some characteristic trends were detected for top authors' contributions, impact, productivity, international collaborations, funding sources, and institutional affiliations. Particularly, the funding sources and collaboration patterns of corresponding authors along with their affiliated institutes showed striking results. These findings can be very helpful for the relevant stakeholders in the accurate interpretation of trends and performance of hypertension-related research work from the region.