Objectives: Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a systemic ailment marked by the ossification and calcification of ligaments and their attachments, primarily affecting the elderly populace. Its manifestation often engenders intricate and diverse complications, easily eluding detection in clinical settings. The risk factors associated with DISH exhibit considerable variability, mirroring the disease’s multifaceted pathogenesis. Through bibliometric analysis, this study delved into DISH’s research focal points and trends, offering credible insights and avenues for future inquiry. Methods: In this study, we retrieved original articles and reviews about DISH published on Web of Science Core Collection between 2000 and 2023. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to conduct the bibliometric and knowledge map analysis. Results: A total of 515 original articles and reviews published in 200 academic journals by 2347 authors from 770 affiliations in 56 countries/regions were retrieved. The United States was the largest contributor. The Utrecht University was a leader in relevant research. Verlaan Jorrit-Jan was the most published authors. Spine published most DISH related articles. The preeminent areas of scholarly inquiry concerning the DISH were centered around diagnosis and prevalence, exploration of risk factors and associated comorbidities, and strategies for management and treatment. Conclusion: DISH presents as a systemic disease characterized by intricate and multifaceted causative factors and complications. Future research endeavors are poised to delve into its diagnosis, incidence rates, associations with other diseases, and the development of effective management and treatment strategies.
Kong et al. (Fri,) studied this question.