Hotspots and trends in research on pollen allergy: A bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace

In recent years, the increase of pollen allergy encourages people to do a lot of research on the disease. This paper conducted a bibliometric study on pollen allergy, to explore the risk factors, as well as the current status, hotspots and development trends, so as to provide reference for researchers in related fields. The visual analysis method was used to analyze the related literature of pollen allergy-related based on CiteSpace (6.2.R4) software, which were searched in the database of Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from 2005 to 24 February 2025. Finally, 5318 documents were included in this study. Results showed that the country with the most published articles is USA. The research institution with the most publications is Medical University of Vienna. The analysis demonstrates strong international research collaboration, with particularly intensive connections observed within Europe. Professor Valenta Rudolf from the Medical University of Vienna is the most prolific author. High frequency keywords in this field include “asthma”, “allergic rhinitis”, “children”, “sensitization” and “food allergy”. It is worth noting that the emerging terms up to 2025 include “allergen immunotherapy”, “air pollution”, “risk”, “allergenic pollen”, “airborne pollen”, “exposure”, and “climate change”. Allergy and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI) are the two most-cited journals, both exhibiting high impact factors and centrality. The review article by Bousquet J. (2018) published in Allergy has been cited 137 times, representing the most cited publication with a betweenness centrality of 0.17. The research focus in the field has shifted to using research methods based on protein and peptides and DNA vaccines for the prevention and treatment of immune reactions induced by tree pollen. The study of recombinant fragments of purified proteins with specific allergens for preventive treatment has broad application prospects. Its conclusion provides comprehensive and beneficial reference information for the prevention and treatment of pollen allergy.