Scientific output on dyspepsia in internal medicine: a quantitative and visual bibliometric approach

Aims: Dyspepsia is a prevalent and multifaceted gastrointestinal disorder that imposes a significant global health burden. Despite its widespread occurrence and complex clinical presentation, there has been no comprehensive bibliometric analysis addressing the scientific output on dyspepsia within the domain of general internal medicine. This study aims to quantitatively and visually evaluate global scientific trends, key contributors, thematic structures, and collaborative networks in dyspepsia research published under the category of internal medicine over the last two decades. Methods: A total of 984 articles published between 2005 and 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric indicators such as publication trends, top journals, highly cited articles, influential institutions, keyword co occurrences, and collaboration patterns at the institutional and international levels were analyzed using VOSviewer and SPSS. Results: The number of publications on dyspepsia has steadily increased, with the highest output observed in 2022. The most frequently used keywords included dyspepsia, Helicobacter pylori, and functional dyspepsia, which clustered with terms such as anxiety, depression, and endoscopy. Cureus Journal of Medical Science emerged as the top publishing journal, while the University of Bologna was the most cited institution. Collaboration network visualizations showed strong partnerships primarily among East Asian and North American institutions. Conclusion: Dyspepsia research within internal medicine has gained momentum, especially in relation to functional dyspepsia and its psychosomatic dimensions. Despite the growing volume of publications, fragmentation across journals and disciplines remains. This study provides a strategic overview of the literature and highlights key areas for future research and policy development.