Current status and research hotspots of pediatric nephrotic syndrome: a bibliometric analysis (2011-2025).

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of pediatric nephrotic syndrome (NS) and indicate its current status, hot spots, and directions of future studies.

METHODS

The literature data were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus. CiteSpace, VOSviewer and Biblioshiny (Bibliometrix package) were employed to conduct a visualized bibliometric analysis of pediatric NS, including countries, institutions, authors, journals, keywords, and references.

RESULTS

A total of 2,873 publications from 2011 to 2025 were included. The number of articles in this field increased in recent years. China contributed the most articles (Publications = 452), but its centrality remained at 0.01. The institution with the most publications was Assistance Publique Hopitaux Paris in France (Publications = 77). Iijima Kazumoto ranked first with 58 publications. The keyword analysis revealed "nephrotic syndrome," "children," and "focal segmental glomerulosclerosis" as the most prominent keywords. Clusters including "nphs2," "bone mineral density," "glomerulonephritis," and "periorbital edema" emerged as current popular topics. The latest burst keywords included "leukocyte count", "lipoid nephrosis", "unclassified drug", "estimated glomerular filtration rate", and "alport syndrome".

CONCLUSION

This study conducted a systematic bibliometric evaluation of pediatric NS, and clarified its current research status and identified future research hotspots and development trends. The exploration of novel immunosuppressants and the elucidation of complex pathogenic mechanisms remain enduring hotspots in the evolving landscape of pediatric NS.