Abstract
BACKGROUND: Over the past two decades, acupuncture has increasingly been applied in the treatment of allergic diseases, with a corresponding increase in the number of published articles. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hotspots and frontiers of global scientific output in acupuncture research for allergic diseases over the past two decades. METHODS: The Web of Science Core Collection was used to collect literature on acupuncture therapy for allergic diseases, which spanned from 2004 to 2024. We used CiteSpace 6.3.1 and VOSviewer to conduct visual analysis of the relevant contents of the literature, and constructed a network graph in the software by using information such as the publication date of the article, country, institution, author, and journal. RESULTS: A total of 423 documents were retrieved. The results indicate that the annual publication volume on acupuncture treatment for allergic diseases has shown a fluctuating upward trend. China is the leading country in terms of publications. KyungHee University emerges as the most productive institution. Brinkhaus, B. is the most prolific author. Medicine is the most popular journal. Annals of Internal Medicine has the highest impact factor. Allergic rhinitis, the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as an alternative therapy for allergic diseases, and the mechanisms underlying acupuncture treatment are at the forefront of research in this field. CONCLUSION: This study provides a comprehensive summary of the research hotspots and trends in the field of acupuncture treatment for allergic diseases over the past two decades, which can assist researchers in better understanding the development of this field and offer directions for future research.