Research Trends in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (2005-2024): From Drug Therapy to Comprehensive...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide, which has driven efficient and economical management strategies to become a research focus. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of drug treatment and comprehensive rehabilitation strategies for COPD, providing a scientific basis for future COPD management and offering valuable information and guidance to clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to optimize clinical treatment plans for COPD.

Using the statistical analysis software CiteSpace6.4. R1, 11,417 articles exported from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2024, were quantitatively analyzed in terms of annual publication volume, countries, institutions, and keywords, and presented in the form of graphs.

After systematic screening, 3668 articles were included. The annual number of published papers in this field is increasing, but little cooperation has been observed between countries and institutions. In terms of contribution, the United States and the United Kingdom are in leading positions. At the institutional level, Sapienza University of Rome in Italy published the largest number of papers. The high-frequency keywords were pulmonary rehabilitation, quality of life, and bronchodilating agents. Keyword emergent analysis results showed that targeted drugs and intelligent healthcare are new research hotspots.

The management of COPD has achieved a fundamental transformation from being "drug-centered" to "patient-centered". Research hotspots are mainly focused on bronchodilators and pulmonary rehabilitation, whereas targeted drugs and intelligent healthcare represent future directions of individualization and precision. In future, drugs, rehabilitation, and intelligent technologies should be integrated to build a full-process management model, and key empirical support should be provided through strengthened international collaboration.