A scientometric analysis of the relationship between functional dyspepsia and anxiety

Abstract

Aims: Functional dyspepsia is a common disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms without underlying disease or structural abnormalities that can have a significant impact on an individual's overall quality of life. Studies in the literature indicate that anxiety also plays an important role in the etiology of functional dyspepsia. Early diagnosis and treatment of the underlying anxiety disorder are important to relieve dyspeptic symptoms. In this study, the aim was to examine the studies related to functional dyspepsia and anxiety using the bibliometric method. Methods: Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science database was used to search for articles and reviews on functional dyspepsia and anxiety between 1980 and 2022. VOSviewer, Tableau, and IBM SPSS Statistics were used for bibliometric network visualization and statistical analyses. A regression analysis using a nonlinear exponential model was used to forecast the number of publications in the next years. Keyword network visualization maps were used to identify recent trends and relationships. Results: The Web of Science database included 560 articles and reviews about functional dyspepsia and anxiety between 1991 and 2023, with the top 5 research areas being Gastroenterology, Clinical Neurology, Neurosciences, Psychiatry, and General Internal Medicine. The collaborative clustering network map shows four distinct clusters based on total link strength scores, and the correlation between Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the number of studies published suggests that countries with higher GDP tend to publish more studies. Since 2015, the amount of published materials on the topic has dramatically increased and is continuing to rise. Conclusion: There has been an upward trend in publications about the relationship between functional dyspepsia and anxiety since the 2010s, with the top ten countries with the greatest number of publications being mostly wealthy nations. The most cited journal on the topic was the American Journal of Gastroenterology, with 1441 total citations. Our findings suggest that this is a rapidly evolving field with a broad range of research topics.