Bibliometric Analysis and Scientific Knowledge Map Study of the Current Situation and Development Trend of the Treatment Related to Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

Background: Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is a prevalent autoimmune endocrine disease, affecting approximately 5% of the population. The literature related to AITD has been increasing annually. Therefore, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of this literature to gain an intuitive understanding of the research frontiers and development trends in this field. Methods: To investigate autoimmune thyroid disease literature published from December 1, 2007 to March 27, 2023, we retrieved data from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database, limiting the search to English literature. We then used CiteSpace 6.2.R2 and VOSviewer 1.6.18 software to analyze annual publications, countries/regions, institutions, journals, authors, literature co-citation analysis, and collaborative network analysis of keywords in the AITD field. Results: The study collected 1095 articles from 72 countries, with the majority published by the United States and Italy. The number of publications related to autoimmune thyroid disease has been increasing annually, reaching its peak in 2020. The main research institutions are the University of Pisa, Harvard University, University of Messina, and UDICE-French Research Universities. The most frequently cited journals are "J CLIN ENDOCR METAB" (791 times) and "AIDS READ" (791 times), and the journal with the most published papers is "THYROID" (Q1, impact factor 6.506, published 38 papers, accounting for 16.17% of the total literature). These publications come from 479 authors, with Antonelli Alessandro, Fallahi Poupak, Ferrari Silvia Martina, Smith Terry J, and Benvenga Salvatore publishing the most papers. The co-occurrence of keywords indicates research hotspots. Early research directions focused on Graves' disease, autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and management. With the appearance of emerging vocabulary such as monoclonal antibody, selenium supplementation, orbital fibroblasts, and Teprotumumab, researchers became more interested in the pathogenesis, risk factors, and clinical treatment of Conclusions: This study utilized data information mining and visualization software to analyze the current research status in the field of AITD. The study identified the hotspots of recent research and aimed to provide a theoretical basis for future research. The research findings can help researchers gain insight into the progress of AITD research and quickly determine new directions for future research.