Research trends in estrogen and rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic bibliometric approach

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease. An increasing body of evidence indicates that hormones, particularly estrogen, play a significant role in RA. To date, no bibliometric studies have been conducted specifically on the role of estrogen in RA. This study seeks to perform a bibliometric analysis to elucidate research trends concerning estrogen in the context of RA from a comprehensive and systematic viewpoint.

We extracted literature pertaining to estrogen in RA from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database, up to April 22, 2025. Research trends in this domain were analyzed utilizing bibliometric software tools, VOSviewer and Bibliometricx.

A total of 1,009 literatures were included in this study. Articles in this field were first published in 1951 and have shown an overall upward trend since 1982. The United States and China were the countries that contributed the most articles, while the University of Genoa was the most contributing affiliation. CUTOLO M is the most prolific and most cited author. Arthritis and Rheumatology is the most published and cited journal in this field in the world. The primary focus of research in this area encompasses the evidence, mechanisms, and practical applications of estrogen's involvement in RA. In addition, the key words such as "cytokines", "inflammation", "immune response", "oxidative stress", and "endometriosis" appear most frequently, which indicates that the mechanism research of estrogen's participation in RA has been a research hotspot in recent years.

This study reflects the degree of academic interest in the potential link between estrogen and RA. This also lays a foundation for continuous research in this field and provides certain insights for future research directions.