Global Research Trends in Childhood Asthma and the Microbiome: A Bibliometric Analysis of 2000 to 2024

Yanni Chen,1,* Jiaqin Wang,1,* Yueting Lu,2 Chenfei Song3 1Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Baoshan District Youyi Street Community Health Service Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Yangpu District Yanji Community Health Service Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pediatric, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chenfei Song, Department of Pediatric, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Yueting Lu, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Yangpu District Yanji Community Health Service Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: This study systematically maps the global publications on childhood asthma and the microbiome from 2000 to 2024, quantifying publication output, collaboration networks, thematic evolution, and research gaps to guide future basic and translational work.Methods: On 30 March 2025, the Web of Science Core Collection was searched. English articles and reviews published between 2000 and 2024 were retained, yielding 2,537 records. Annual output was summarised with Microsoft Excel 2021, while VOSviewer 1.6.20, CiteSpace 6.4 R1, Scimago Graphica, and Charticulator were employed to visualise country, institution, author, and journal networks as well as keyword co-occurrence, bursts, and thematic clusters.Results: Annual publications rose exponentially, peaking at 225 papers in 2022; the United States led in volume (802 papers), citations (48,856), and H-index (105), partnering most closely with the United Kingdom, while China’s fast growing output has yet to match Western citation impact. Copenhagen University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, and authors such as Erika von Mutius and Hans Bisgaard occupied central positions in collaboration and co-citation networks. The high frequency and centrality of the keywords “gut microbiota”, “early life” and “regulatory T cells” highlight the pivotal role of the early-life gut–lung axis, while keyword burst analysis shows that research has shifted from the hygiene-hypothesis phase toward short-chain fatty acids, multi-omics integration and personalised micro-ecological interventions.Conclusion: Over the past quarter century, research on childhood asthma and the microbiome has progressed from macro level epidemiology to multi omics mechanism and is now entering a precision medicine phase. Future priorities include longitudinal birth cohort multi omics, targeted restoration of key taxa or metabolites, and expanded participation of low and middle income regions through strengthened international collaboration to reduce the global burden of childhood asthma.Keywords: childhood asthma, microbiome, gut–lung axis, bibliometric analysis, allergy