Global hotspots and trends in Acanthosis nigricans research: A bibliometric and visualized analysis.

Background: Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a common skin disease characterized by clear pigmented patches on the folds of the skin. However, the AN research field lacks scientific and comprehensive bibliometric analysis. This article aims to use bibliometric methods to summarize and visualize the distribution patterns, research hotspots, and development trends of AN literature.

Methods: Literature from 1900 to 2024 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database through AN's thematic search. Using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Excel 2019, conduct a comprehensive analysis of the number of publications, countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, highly cited literature, keywords, and so on, and sort out the hotspots and directions of AN.

Results: From 1900 to 2024, 1675 publications were included in the bibliometric analysis, showing a steady annual increase in the number of publications. The United States leads in this research field, with the University of Texas System being a key research institution. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism has the highest number of published papers. The most cited article is "Syndromes of Insulin Resistance and Acanthosis Nigricans: Insulin-Receptor Disorders in Man" (1976). The author Taylor, SI, has published the most papers. "Acanthosis nigricans" is the most frequently occurring keyword. The main research hotspots and frontier areas in AN research are as follows: (1) The relationship between AN and other diseases is a popular research topic; (2) The connection between AN and insulin resistance (IR) is a current research focus; (3) Treatment of AN, with an emphasis on addressing the underlying causes and improving local skin conditions, represents the cutting edge of this field.

Conclusion: This study summarizes the research trends and hotspots in the field of AN, offering valuable information and insights for scholars focused on AN scientific research, and providing a reference for future research directions.