Bibliometric analysis of the research trends of thalassemia in the past decade.

Background

To date, many articles on thalassemia have been published, but the field still lacks systematic reviews. This bibliometric study maps global research trends and knowledge structures on thalassemia from 2015 to 2024, addressing the need for an integrated overview linking publication dynamics, thematic evolution and collaboration. RESEARCH

Design

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Methods

Articles on thalassemia were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. The bibliometrix R package was used for statistical analysis and visualization of outputs, countries, institutions, authors, journals and keywords.

Results

A total of 2,878 publications were identified, with annual output peaking in 2021 (333 papers). China ranks first in terms of the number of publications. Hemoglobin was the most prolific journal (n = 96), and Blood had the highest citation impact. Fucharoen S was the most productive author (n = 65), and Frangoul H the most cited (n = 1,236). The United States, China and Italy formed the primary collaboration hubs. The top three high-frequency words are beta-thalassemia (492 times, 9%), disease (299 times, 7%), and children (246 times, 4%).

Conclusions

Thalassemia research remains a strong academic focus. Current major topics include diagnostic innovation, genetic testing and pediatric care. Future efforts should prioritize translational studies, cross-regional collaboration and neglected areas such as adult quality of life and gene-therapy accessibility.