Top-cited Articles in Primary Aldosteronism: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background: The objective of this study was to identify the top 100 cited articles in primary aldosteronism, and examine their characteristics. Methods: Science Citation Index Expanded database was utilized to search for the top 100 cited articles published since 1900. Articles were evaluated for several characteristics, including the number of citations, authorship, country and institution of origin, publication year, journal, and study design. Results: The top 100 articles were cited between 88 and 762 times, with a median of 130. The articles were published between 1955 and 2012, with the majority of the primary aldosteronism publications (n=35) being published between 2000 and 2009. The biggest number of the top 100 cited articles (n=19) were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, followed by Hypertension (n=9), Annals of Internal Medicine (n=6), and Archives of Internal Medicine (n=6). The United States and Italy had the most publications, whereas University of Michigan and University of Padua were the top two institutions. Observational studies were the most popular article type, followed by reviews and basic science. The impact factor of a journal was not correlated with the number of top-cited articles it published. Furthermore there was no correlation between the number of citations and the number of years since publication, authors, participating institutions, or countries involved. Conclusion: These findings will assist researchers in quickly identifying the most significant advances in the field of primary aldosteronism, as well as deciphering the characteristics of top-cited articles in this subject, and laying a basis for further research.