[Bibliometric analysis of research trends and hotspots on organic solvent induced hearing loss]

Objective: To explore the research hotspots and trends in the literature related to hearing loss caused by organic solvents, and to provide an effective theoretical basis for further research on the impact of ototoxic organic solvents on the auditory system. Methods: In January 2024, literatures that met the inclusion/exclusion criteria from 1974 to 2023 in the PubMed database were selected. The authors, countries, journal fields and publishing institutions of the literatures were analyzed through Bicomb version 2.01. The author co-occurrence knowledge network graph and the literature publication institution graph were plotted using CiteSpace 6.3R1 Advance, and the co-occurrence clustering map of keywords was drawn using VOS viewer 1.6.19 software. Results: A total of 380 relevant literatures were retrieved, and 256 were finally included. The top three countries in terms of the number of published literature were the United States (accounting for 30.08%, 77/256), the United Kingdom (accounting for 17.97%, 46/256), and the Netherlands (accounting for 10.16%, 26/256). The published authors were represented by Pierre Campo, involving a total of 165 institutions, mainly occupational health research institutions and hearing institutions. It mainly involved related fields such as audiology, occupational medicine, environmental hygiene, toxicology, and otolaryngology. The key groups were painters, aviation industry personnel, gas station workers and agricultural workers. The key solvents included organic solvent mixtures, benzene and its derivatives, trichloroethylene, ethanol, carbon disulfide, etc. Conclusion: Research on hearing loss caused by organic solvents mainly focuses on countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, with a particular emphasis on occupational groups such as painters, aviation industry personnel, gas station workers, and agricultural personnel, as well as the ototoxic effects of organic solvent mixtures, benzene and its derivatives, etc. This provides a basis for subsequent mechanism exploration, protection strategy formulation, and hearing health management of the target population.