Global trends and current state of research in clinical trials in atherosclerosis: A bibliometric study 2004 to 2024

Background: This study aims to summarize the current state of research and global trends in clinical trials related to atherosclerosis through bibliometric analysis. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted for literature pertaining to clinical trials on atherosclerosis published between August 2004 and August 2024 in the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric analysis and web visualization were performed utilizing CiteSpace (Chaomei Chen, Drexel University), VOSviewer (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University), Scimago Graphica (Scimago Lab), the Bibliometrics Online Analysis Platform (Bibliometrics Inc., https://bibliometric.com), and the R package is based on R (R Foundation for Statistical Computing). The analysis encompassed the number of publications, citations, countries, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords. Results: A total of 1982 papers published across 646 journals from 75 countries were included. The volume of literature concerning clinical trials in atherosclerosis has exhibited a consistent yearly increase. The United States, particularly Harvard University, emerged as the leading contributor in terms of published clinical trials. Stephen J. Nicholls was identified as the most prolific author based on publication and co-citation metrics. The journal with relevant the highest number of publications and citations was Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. Keywords such as “atherosclerosis,” “randomized controlled trial,” “cardiovascular disease,” “risk,” “coronary heart disease,” “myocardial infarction,” “risk factors,” and “coronary artery disease” reflect the current hotspots in atherosclerosis research. Conclusions: This study elucidates global trends and research directions in the field of atherosclerosis through bibliometric analysis and visualization of the clinical trial literature. Future investigations should emphasize the mechanisms of action and clinical trial methodologies. Young scholars are encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration, adopt innovative technologies and methods, enhance data processing skills, and remain abreast of the latest research developments to address emerging challenges and opportunities in this domain.