The depigmented literature: A holistic analysis of global vitiligo publications between 1975 and 2017

Abstract

Background: Vitiligo is a common depigmenting disorder with a prevalence of 0.5–2%. Despite the increasing popularity of bibliometric studies in recent years, medical literature lacks a report investigating bibliometric features of vitiligo literature. Aim: It was aimed to analyze vitiligo literature by evaluating productivity of countries, institutions, and authors, and performing assessment of publication trends, bibliometric networks, and correlations. Material and Methods: We collected all data in this study by searching databases provided by Web of Science. All documents published on vitiligo literature between 1975 and 2017 were included. We performed correlation analyses between productivity and demographical and economical features of the countries publishing vitiligo articles. Results: A total of 7187 documents were detected and 72.2% of which was original article. The peak year for publication number by year was 2016 with 528 articles and the highest number of citations was reported in 2017. The USA was the leading country by total publication number (24.82%) followed by the United Kingdom (UK), India, China, and Italy (10.91%, 8.64%, 7.54%, and 6.87% respectively). Estonia was found to be the most productive country of vitiligo literature (13.01) followed by Netherlands, the UK, and Switzerland (12.64, 11.78, and 9.25, respectively). We found a high correlation between GDP per capita and the productivity of the countries ( r = 0.732, P < 0.001). Conclusion: As revealed in our study, although vitiligo occurs worldwide, developed countries dominated vitiligo literature. Researchers from developing and least-developed countries should be encouraged and supported to perform novel vitiligo studies.

Impact of economic growth on scientific production in Latin America and the Caribbean based on panel data analysis

“…In addition, Latin American and Caribbean countries had the lowest production rates compared to the United States and European countries, which has also been reported by Ibañez-Marti. 34 Another example is reported by Senel in 2020, 35 who found an association between GDP and scientific productivity in the countries, in addition to a low contribution by Latin American and Caribbean countries in the area of immunology. In contrast, Ronda-Pupo reported a growth in global scientific production in the Latin American and Caribbean region 36 although, when productivity is analyzed by specialties or areas of knowledge and compared with the rest of the world, this region is below the average.…”

Compound glycyrrhizin tablets combined with the 308 nm excimer laser in the treatment of vitiligo: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…A widespread depigmentation-resistant skin condition with a prevalence of 0.2%-2.0% worldwide, vitiligo. 1 White patches on skin, mucosa, and hair are the main clinical manifestations, which seriously damage patients' appearances, frequently place a heavy mental and emotional burden on them, and significantly lower their quality of life. 2 Although vitiligo is not fatal, facial skin lesions have a significant negative impact on a person's quality of life and social standing.…”

“…Primary outcome measures: Clinical effectiveness and adverse events (AEs). The skin recovery area of vitiligo was divided into four grades: (1) Ineffective means that the depigmented spots have not subsided even aggravated or have subsided <10%. (2) Efficiency means that the depigmented spots have a normal skin color and a skin area between 10% and 50%.…”