Listening to the Past, Predicting the Future: A Bibliometric Exploration of Hearing Loss Publications Over Four Decades.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This article aims to analyze the scientific literature on hearing loss (HL) in the field of Otorhinolaryngology published from the past to the present. METHODS: A comprehensive dataset comprising 8013 articles on HL, spanning from 1980 to 2023, was retrieved from the Web of Science database and analyzed using various statistical and bibliometric methods. RESULTS: The leading countries in productivity were the United States, Japan, and Germany. The top productive journals included the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (n = 652), Otology & Neurotology (579), and Acta Oto-Laryngologica (512). The journals with the highest h-index on hearing loss were Hearing Research (h = 65), Ear and Hearing (60), and Laryngoscope (55). Factor analysis revealed that the HL literature consisted of four constructs main topics, speech/sound, genetics, and pharmaceutical therapies. Sudden sensorineural HL, sensorineural HL, cochlear implant, unilateral, noise-induced and conductive HL, pediatric and age-related HL, tinnitus, auditory brainstem response, audiometry, and prognoses for hearing health were the most researched topics from past to present. In recent years, the trending topics are genomic analysis, gene mutations, whole-exome sequencing, genetic sequencing technique, the use of machine learning in HL, and the effect of COVID-19 on hearing health. CONCLUSION: The bibliometric analysis results clearly indicate significant progress in the field of hearing loss over the past 40 years. The 8013 articles published between 1980 and 2023 encompass a wide range of research in this area. These analyses can assist in identifying priority areas and focal points for future research. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA Laryngoscope, 1344697-4706, 2024.