Systemic lupus erythematosus-related infections in pregnancy: a cross-sectional bibliometric analysis

Pregnancy raises the risk of maternal and fetal complications in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients due to physiological and immunological changes, with infections standing out as a significant concern. It is important to conduct a comprehensive examination of the structure and trends in the scientific literature of this field. This bibliometric study analyzed publications on SLE-related infections during pregnancy using the Scopus database. The search was conducted on January 15, 2026, using the keywords “Systemic Lupus Erythematosus”, “Pregnancy”, and “Infection” in the title, abstract, and keyword fields. The analysis included an examination of publication distribution and trends over time using linear regression. Data on countries, authors, institutions, funding sources, journals, document types, and keywords of the articles were collected. A total of 994 publications were included in the analysis. The annual number of publications increased significantly over the years and the publication output peaked in 2024 (n = 73) (R² = 0.664, p < 0.001). In total, 71 countries contributed to the literature, with 28 classified as main active countries (≥ 1% of total output). The majority of document types were articles (n = 528) and reviews (n = 354). In terms of publication volume, the United States (n = 299), the United Kingdom (n = 101), and Italy (n = 83) were prominent, whereas in terms of citations per paper, Hungary (170.4), Greece (137.23), and the Netherlands (116.55) exhibited the highest impact. The most productive journals included Lupus (n = 36), Frontiers in Immunology (n = 20), and Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (n = 14). This analysis reveals a significant upward trend in the scientific literature in recent years and the increasing clinical importance of the subject.