Evolving Genetic Research in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Mapping Research Trends and Global Contributions

Background: Significant advancements in genetic research have profoundly expanded our understanding of rheumatoid arthritis, elucidating numerous loci and pathways associated with disease susceptibility, progression, and therapeutic response. Methods: This bibliometric study mapped global research trends in genetics and rheumatoid arthritis using 3,731 publications indexed in Scopus from 1953 to June 17, 2025. Publications from 2025 were excluded from the total publication and citation trend analyses owing to incomplete data. Results: Publication volume ascended progressively from the 1990s, peaking in 2022. China leads in total output, while the United States demonstrates the highest citation impact and research influence. The United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain emerged as pivotal research hubs, contributing the majority of the most prolific authors and highly cited articles. Key publishing platforms include Arthritis and Rheumatism and Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed dynamic shifts in research priorities: traditional topics such as Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA), shared epitope, and rheumatoid factors are waning, while emerging domains include machine learning, ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-seq), Mendelian randomization, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), bioinformatics, and biomarkers. Conclusion: These findings highlight the evolving paradigm of rheumatoid arthritis genetics research and offer insights to guide future investigations and bolster international collaboration.