Immunol Res. 2026 Aug 7;74(1):81. doi: 10.1007/s12026-026-09815-w.
ABSTRACT
Chronic urticaria is a common mast-cell-driven inflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent wheals, angioedema, or both. Angioedema is associated with higher disease burden, impaired quality of life, and greater difficulty in clinical assessment, yet the overall research structure of chronic urticaria in the context of angioedema has not been systematically mapped. Publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on July 14, 2026. English-language Articles and Reviews published between 1947 and 2026 were included after independent screening by two researchers, with disagreements resolved by a third researcher. Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, and GraphPad Prism were used to analyze annual output, countries, institutions, authors, journals, co-cited references, and keyword evolution. A total of 881 publications were included. Annual output increased over time, with faster growth after 2014. The United States ranked first in productivity, Germany had the highest citation count and total link strength, and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin was the leading institution. The knowledge base was concentrated in mast cell biology, autoimmune mechanisms, anti-IgE therapy, and patient-reported outcomes. Keyword analysis showed a shift from early immune plausibility and idiopathic descriptions toward disease standardization, quality of life, and targeted therapy, including omalizumab and newer targeted treatments. Angioedema remained a high-frequency term and was repeatedly linked to disease burden, assessment, and treatment. The literature addressing both chronic urticaria and angioedema showed increasing emphasis on structured clinical assessment, mast-cell and autoimmune mechanisms, patient-reported outcomes, biomarker-oriented stratification, and targeted treatment. Future research should broaden international participation and evaluate clinically useful biomarkers and patient-centered outcomes across diverse populations.
PMID:42566088 | DOI:10.1007/s12026-026-09815-w