Visualization analysis on research hotspots and trends in the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children and adolescents

Abstract

Objective To analyze research hotspots and evolving trends in the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in children and adolescents from 2014 to 2024 using bibliometric methods, so as to provide evidence for future research directions. Methods Relevant Chinese and English language literatures published from January 2014 to December 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to conduct visual analyses of annual publication trends, core research institutions, author collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence and clustering, burst keywords, and co-cited references. Results A total of 1 341 English publications and 319 Chinese publications were included. The annual number of publications in both Chinese and English showed an upward trend, with a more pronounced increase observed in English publications. Network analysis based on English literature revealed a closely connected multi-institutional collaboration network led by several core researchers, whereas Chinese studies were mainly characterized by small-team collaborations. After excluding search terms, the top three keywords by centrality in English publications were obesity, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance, while those in Chinese publications were hepatic fibrosis, childhood obesity, and insulin resistance. Keyword clustering of both Chinese and English publications indicated that research hotspots were mainly concentrated on childhood obesity, metabolic syndrome, noninvasive diagnostic techniques, and genetic mechanisms. Noninvasive imaging techniques and composite biomarkers have emerged as recent research frontiers. Conclusions Research on the diagnosis of NAFLD/MAFLD in children and adolescents has developed a framework centered on obesity-metabolic dysregulation-liver injury. Current trends focus primarily on improving noninvasive diagnostic technologies and comprehensively assessing multisystem metabolic health. These findings provide evidence to support the development of multidimensional pediatric diagnostic criteria, the integration of multicenter data, and the establishment of a life-course health management system.

Keywords

non-alcoholic fatty liver disease / metabolic-associated fatty liver disease / CiteSpace / VOSviewer / bibliometric analysis