Global trends in research on vascular calcification over previous decade: a scientometric study to an in-depth review

Vascular calcification (VC) is a prevalent complication in atherosclerosis[1], diabetes[2], chronic kidney disease[1], and hypertension[3]. Although research output on VC has grown substantially in recent years, the global scientific landscape and evolving research hotspots have not been systematically summarised.

This scientometric study aimed to comprehensively map the global research trends, influential contributors, knowledge structure, and emerging hotspots in VC research over the past two decades, and to integrate these findings with an in-depth review of key molecular mechanisms.

Publications related to vascular calcification were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection[4] using the query "vascular calcification," covering 2005–2024. A total of 7,911 articles and reviews were included after rigorous filtering. Bibliometric analyses were performed using VOSviewer and Citespace[5; 6] to assess hotspots, contributing countries, institutions, authors, journals, citations, co-cited references.

Annual publications exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, peaking in 2020. The United States and China were the leading countries in research output. Prominent journals such as Kidney International and Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology were central to the field. Schurgers, Leon and UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SYSTEM are the authors and institutions with the highest publication output, respectively. Co-citation and keyword analyses identified key contemporary hotspots, including VSMCs osteogenic trans-differentiation, calcium signaling dysregulation, chronic kidney disease-related phosphate imbalance, calciprotein particles, inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways, extracellular vesicles, and impaired autophagy.

This scientometric study provides a comprehensive overview of global VC research, highlighting expanding scientific interest and delineating key biological processes driving calcification. Future research should focus on translating mechanistic insights—particularly targeting VSMCs phenotype switching, calcium–phosphate homeostasis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and autophagy—into viable therapeutic strategies.

Keyword cooccurrence network