The scientific progress and prospects of hepatitis C research from 2013 to 2022

Background and objective: Hepatitis C (HC) is a global health issue, with an estimated 350,000 people dying annually from this liver-related disease. This study determined the development trends and research hotspots regarding HC by investigating the related articles within the past ten years.

Methods: Publications on HC were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) on June 6, 2022. Bibliometric visualization was conducted through VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Original articles and reviews served as the foundation for this analytical research.

Results: Of the total 17,773 records of HC research published from 2013 to 2022, the top 1,000 articles were retrieved and distributed among 78 countries and 270 journals. The US, where 7 of the top 10 institutions were located, mainly contributed to the study (51.9%). Johns Hopkins University distributed the most related articles (45 articles). Hepatology (IF 2021 = 17.298) ranked first, with 109 articles in the top 10 journals. Dore GJ was the most productive author (40 articles). The keywords of sustained virologic response, therapy, sofosbuvir, cirrhosis, ledipasvir, and hepatocellular carcinoma offered hints regarding research hotspots. The burst keywords regarding the virus, like HCV, HIV, and care and intervention showed as research frontiers.

Conclusions: Treatment has been a trending topic in HC research, and future research may focus more on HCV and HIV co-infection, treatment, and elimination of HC.