Research trends and priorities in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis from 2014 to 2024: A bibliometric and visualization study

BACKGROUND: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease associated with psoriasis that can lead to progressive joint damage and impaired quality of life. Although biologic therapies targeting key inflammatory pathways have advanced rapidly, global research trends and hotspots in PsA treatment have not been systematically characterized. METHODS: Publications on PsA treatment from 2014 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric and visualization analyses were performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer to evaluate publication characteristics, collaborative networks, and research trends, including keyword co-occurrence and citation burst analysis. RESULTS: A total of 2704 publications were included. The United States ranked first in both publication output and citations, with extensive international collaboration, particularly with European countries, while contributions from the Asia-Pacific region have increased in recent years. Research focus has shifted over time from tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and clinical validation studies to interleukin-17/23 inhibitors, Janus kinase inhibitors, and personalized treatment strategies. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases was the most influential journal, and Mease PJ was the most productive author. Keyword and citation analyses indicated that precision medicine, novel therapeutic targets, and combination therapies are emerging research directions. CONCLUSION: Research on PsA treatment has evolved toward precision and targeted therapy. Future studies should emphasize biomarker-guided treatment and optimization of combination strategies to improve clinical outcomes.