P1223Three Decades of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research in Southeast Asia (1990–2025): A Bibliometric and Network Analysis

Background The burden of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rapidly increasing across Southeast Asia (SEA). However, the evolution of IBD research within this region remains poorly characterised. We aimed to evaluate three decades of SEA IBD research in terms of productivity, leadership, collaboration, thematic focus and impact. Methods A comprehensive search of Scopus was conducted for IBD-related publications (1990-2025) with > 1 author affiliated with a SEA country (cut-off September 2025). Bibliometric indicators (publication counts, citations, field-weighted citation impact [FWCI], GDP- and population-adjusted outputs) were analysed using Bibliometrix R. Co-authorship and collaboration networks were examined to assess leadership and research connectivity, and thematic evolution was assessed using keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and time-slice analysis. Results A total of 1,751 publications were identified across 822 sources, showing 15.7% annual growth. Output was concentrated in Singapore (32.5%), Malaysia (25.6%), Thailand (23%) and Indonesia (12.2%), while other SEA countries contributed < 7% (Figure 1). First and last authorship from SEA occurred in 74.9% and 62.2% of papers, respectively. However, these leadership positions were concentrated in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, with most other SEA countries contributing very few first-or senior-authored publications. This indicates a marked leadership imbalance within the region despite overall SEA representation. International co-authorship was common (54.4%), most commonly with the US, UK, Japan, and Australia, while intra-SEA links were uncommon. Citation impact exceeded global averages in Singapore (FWCI 1.67), Indonesia (1.51), Malaysia (1.39) and the Philippines (3.64). Keyword and thematic analyses showed an evolution from descriptive epidemiology and conventional immunomodulators (1990-2010) toward biologics, translational models, and microbiome research (2011-2025) (Figure 2). Despite this growth, paediatric IBD, health systems, cost-effectiveness, and regional capacity-building themes remain underrepresented. Conclusion IBD research in SEA has grown significantly over the last three decades, gaining more global attention but mostly limited to a few major countries. These findings point to a need for stronger regional leadership, enhanced collaboration within SEA, and research that targets priorities specific to the local context. References: 1. Chen X, Xiang X, Xia W, Li X, Wang S, Ye S, et al. Evolving Trends and Burden of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Asia, 1990-2019: A Comprehensive Analysis Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2023 Sept 1;13(4):725–39. 2. Chew DCH, Khoo XH, Lee TS, Chin KY, Raja Ali RA, Muhammad Nawawi KN, et al. A Systematic Review on the Increasing Incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Southeast Asia: Looking Beyond the Urbanization Phenomenon. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2024 Sept 3;30(9):1566–78. Conflict of interest: Dr. Pajes, A Nico Nahar: I have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Paris, Chelsea Colleen: I have no conflicts of interest to disclose.