Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infections in Children over the Past Decade and Therapeutic Hotspots

KADELIYA Abulimiti; LUO Xinhui

doi:10.16458/j.cnki.1007-0893.2025.23.002

Abstract：Objective To reveal the research landscape,evolution of research hotspots,and differences between Chinese and foreign studies on recurrent respiratory tract infections(RRTI)in children,thereby providing a reference for the precise positioning and improvement of related research in this field in China.Methods The data for this study were sourced from the WoS core collection,with the search period from January 1,2015 to March 1,2025.The search term"TS=(recurrent respiratory tract infection* OR RRTI)AND TS=(child* OR pediatric* OR infant*)AND TS=(treat* OR therapy OR management or intervention)"was used to extract the literature.After the initial acquisition of the literature,duplicate removal was conducted using"EndNote"software,followed by manual screening,ultimately retaining a total of 384 English research articles and reviews that met the requirements.Tools such as"CiteSpace 6.4.2R","VOSviewer 1.6.19"and"Excel 2019"were utilized to conduct a systematic analysis of the annual publication volume,country/region,institution,author,journal distribution,and characteristics of keywords and emerging words.Results The global average annual publication volume was approximately 38.4 articles.The overall research trend can be summarized into three stages:"fluctuation rise-peak-adjustment".The peak was reached in 2022(51 articles),and there was a decline after 2023 due to the reallocation of resources caused by the global coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic.In terms of national contributions,the United States(106 articles,with an average citation of 26.5 times per article)and China(56 articles,with an average citation of 8.3 times per article)were the main research-producing countries.However,the proportion of highly cited papers from China was only 8.9%,indicating that there is still room for improvement in research influence.At the institutional level,two typical research models emerged:one was"scale-type output",such as the University of Melbourne(10 articles,with an average citation of 19.6 times per article);the other was"quality-type breakthrough",such as the University of Oxford(only 5 articles,but with an average citation of 258 times per article).Keyword clustering analysis identified three core hotspots:immune regulation therapy,intestinal microecology,and rational use of antibiotics.Among them,"impact"had the highest burst intensity from 2020 to 2022(4.13),reflecting the extensive attention paid to the impact on clinical practice during this period.Conclusion Global research on pediatric RRTI has formed a relatively stable collaborative network,yet there are significant disparities in research quality across different regions.Although China ranks among the top in terms of publication volume in this field,it still faces a structural imbalance characterized by"emphasis on clinical observation over mechanistic exploration."To further enhance research impact,future efforts should focus more on cutting-edge directions such as"gut microbiome modulation"and"basic-clinical translation,"while promoting an overall leap in research quality through strengthened international collaboration.