Bibliometric mapping of scientific production on maturity-onset diabetes of the young: evolution, hotspots, and future directions

Abstract Background Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is the most common form of monogenic diabetes, with genetic and clinical heterogeneity emerging as significant challenges. Despite growing scholarly attention to MODY research, the overall knowledge structure, research priorities, and developmental trends in this field have not yet been systematically integrated. Methods To ensure comprehensive coverage and compatibility with bibliometric analysis tools, relevant publications on MODY were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database from 2006 to 2025. Employing bibliometric methods and tools such as CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Scimago Graphica, and Microsoft Excel, we conducted visual analyses of publication trends, country and regional collaboration, institutional distribution, author contributions, co-cited journals, co-cited references, and keywords. Results From 2006 to 2025, a total of 1,610 publications related to MODY were identified, showing an overall increasing trend over time. The United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), and China were the major contributors to this field, with close collaborative relationships, particularly between the USA and the UK. The leading contributors by country, institution, and author were the USA (391 publications), the University of Exeter (105 publications), and Sian Ellard and Andrew T. Hattersley (50 publications each). High-frequency keywords included “gene”, “monogenic diabetes”, “children”, “prevalence”, “glucokinase”, and “mutation”. In the co-citation analysis, the study by Shields BM published in 2010 showed the highest citation frequency. These findings indicate that MODY research has primarily centered on genetic mechanisms, clinical diagnosis, and precision management, with recent attention gradually moving toward functional genomics and individualized therapeutic strategies. Conclusion MODY research has evolved into a multidisciplinary field that bridges biological mechanisms, clinical characterization, and translational application. Future studies should broaden population coverage and translate molecular findings into more precise diagnosis and individualized management.