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Subfield · Medicine

Rheumatology research

Rheumatology is a subfield of Medicine. Science Explorer counts 562k research works in it since 1950. 14.7% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: medical specialty dealing with autoimmune diseases, especially those of joints and connective tissues, including arthritis.

Research works
562k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
83k
per year above
Top-10% rate
14.7%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
24
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+17%
the tick is no change

This ranks research output and citation impact. It says nothing about the quality of diagnosis, treatment or care.

What is Rheumatology research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Autoantibodies, Inflammation, Quality of Life, Surgical Treatment, Biological Therapy, Epidemiology. Gaining share since 2009–13: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Spondyloarthritis. Losing share: Folate, Homocysteine, Biomineralization, Osteopontin.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Autoantibodies31k◆ 1.05×3 topics
  2. Inflammation31k◆ 1.05×4 topics
  3. Quality of Life18k◆ 1.01×2 topics
  4. Surgical Treatment16k◆ 0.96×2 topics
  5. Biological Therapy15k◆ 1.10×2 topics
  6. Epidemiology13k◆ 0.95×2 topics
  7. Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs13k◆ 1.09×1 topic
  8. Rheumatoid Arthritis13k◆ 1.09×1 topic
  9. Cartilage12k◆ 1.06×1 topic
  10. Osteoarthritis12k◆ 1.06×1 topic
  11. Antiphospholipid Syndrome12k◆ 0.97×1 topic
  12. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus12k◆ 0.97×1 topic
  13. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction12k◆ 0.96×1 topic
  14. Urinary Incontinence12k◆ 0.96×1 topic
  15. Cardiovascular Disease9,754◆ 0.87×2 topics
  16. Folate7,255▼ 0.75×1 topic
  17. Homocysteine7,255▼ 0.75×1 topic
  18. Ankylosing Spondylitis6,920▲ 1.39×1 topic
  19. Spondyloarthritis6,920▲ 1.39×1 topic
  20. Chondrosarcoma6,564◆ 0.89×1 topic
  21. Chordoma6,564◆ 0.89×1 topic
  22. Fusion Genes6,174◆ 0.98×1 topic
  23. Hypereosinophilic Syndrome6,174◆ 0.98×1 topic
  24. Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria5,790◆ 1.14×1 topic
  25. Urticaria5,790◆ 1.14×1 topic
  26. Radiation Therapy5,507◆ 0.92×2 topics
  27. Radiotherapy5,123◆ 0.95×2 topics
  28. Angiomyxoma4,705◆ 0.93×1 topic
  29. Prostate4,705◆ 0.93×1 topic
  30. Genetic Mutations4,235◆ 0.96×2 topics
  31. Genetic Susceptibility4,078◆ 0.98×2 topics
  32. Desmoid Tumor4,060◆ 0.89×1 topic
  33. Solitary Fibrous Tumor4,060◆ 0.89×1 topic
  34. Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis3,760◆ 0.98×1 topic
  35. Synovial Chondromatosis3,760◆ 0.98×1 topic
  36. Pediatric Patients3,572◆ 1.04×2 topics
  37. Autoimmune Pancreatitis3,357◆ 1.13×1 topic
  38. IgG4-Related Disease3,357◆ 1.13×1 topic
  39. Biomineralization3,082▼ 0.75×1 topic
  40. Osteopontin3,082▼ 0.75×1 topic

Which countries lead Rheumatology research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and the United Kingdom rank highest in Rheumatology. By volume, the United States and China publish the most (18k and 15k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #3 all time 21.3% top 10% · 15k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 13.5% top 10% · 18k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom · #2 all time 15.7% top 10% · 4.2k works
  4. 4 Italy · #6 all time 20.2% top 10% · 3.6k works
  5. 5 Germany · #4 all time 15.5% top 10% · 3.4k works
  6. 6 France · #5 all time 14.0% top 10% · 3.1k works
  7. 7 Japan · #9 all time 9.7% top 10% · 4.9k works
  8. 8 Australia · #10 all time 18.7% top 10% · 1.5k works
  9. 9 Spain · #11 all time 12.7% top 10% · 2.7k works
  10. 10 Canada · #8 all time 16.8% top 10% · 1.9k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 52 countries ranked in Rheumatology. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Rheumatology

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 18k works
  2. 2 China 15k works
  3. 3 India 6.2k works
  4. 4 Japan 4.9k works
  5. 5 United Kingdom 4.2k works
  6. 6 Italy 3.6k works
  7. 7 Germany 3.4k works
  8. 8 France 3.1k works
  9. 9 Türkiye 2.9k works
  10. 10 Spain 2.7k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 28.1%China: 23.5%India: 9.7%Japan: 7.7%6 others listed: 31.1%28%largest
United States18k · 28.1%China15k · 23.5%India6,183 · 9.7%Japan4,886 · 7.7%6 others listed20k · 31.1%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Rheumatology research?

Harvard University (United States) ranks first in Rheumatology on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Sichuan University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Harvard University United States · Cambridge · #1 all time 23.8% top 10% · 246 works
  2. 2 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China · Shanghai 24.7% top 10% · 181 works
  3. 3 Sichuan University China · Chengdu · #93 all time 21.4% top 10% · 265 works
  4. 4 Brigham and Women's Hospital United States · Boston · #2 all time 23.7% top 10% · 176 works
  5. 5 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China · Beijing 19.5% top 10% · 287 works
  6. 6 Peking University China · Beijing 17.6% top 10% · 280 works
  7. 7 Inserm France · Paris · #18 all time 20.5% top 10% · 214 works
  8. 8 Sun Yat-sen University China · Guangzhou 23.0% top 10% · 190 works
  9. 9 Central South University China · Changsha 25.7% top 10% · 160 works
  10. 10 Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin Germany · Berlin · #14 all time 16.2% top 10% · 193 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 237 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Rheumatology.

Top 100 Rheumatology institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China 287 works
  2. 2 Peking University China 280 works
  3. 3 Sichuan University China 265 works
  4. 4 Harvard University United States 246 works
  5. 5 All India Institute of Medical Sciences India 243 works
  6. 6 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill United States 227 works
  7. 7 Inserm France 215 works
  8. 8 Capital Medical University China 202 works
  9. 9 Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Türkiye 197 works
  10. 10 Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin Germany 193 works

Who are the leading researchers in Rheumatology?

Among the most productive authors in Rheumatology, Alberto Ortíz, Jasvinder A. Singh and Kāri Stefánsson rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Alberto Ortíz Spain · #52 worldwide 5.9k citations · 191 works
  2. 2 Jasvinder A. Singh United States · #79 worldwide 4.7k citations · 154 works
  3. 3 Kāri Stefánsson Iceland · #127 worldwide 4.2k citations · 145 works
  4. 4 Cyrus Cooper United Kingdom · #144 worldwide 7.2k citations · 486 works
  5. 5 Rachelle Buchbinder Australia · #147 worldwide 3.5k citations · 131 works
  6. 6 Walter C. Willett United States · #154 worldwide 6.8k citations · 360 works
  7. 7 Darwin J. Prockop United States · #175 worldwide 3.8k citations · 131 works
  8. 8 Flavia Cicuttini Australia · #232 worldwide 3.2k citations · 152 works
  9. 9 Peter Brooks Australia · #319 worldwide 2.2k citations · 187 works
  10. 10 John А. Kanis United Kingdom · #770 worldwide 2.3k citations · 104 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,432 highest-output authors in Rheumatology. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Rheumatology researchers

Where is Rheumatology research done?

The largest centres of Rheumatology research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), London (United Kingdom), Shanghai (China) and Paris (France). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Herne and La Marsa.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 2.2k works
  2. 2 London United Kingdom 1.2k works
  3. 3 Shanghai China 1.2k works
  4. 4 Paris France 1.2k works
  5. 5 Tokyo Japan 1.2k works
  6. 6 Guangzhou China 1k works
  7. 7 Seoul South Korea 974 works
  8. 8 New York United States 937 works
  9. 9 Moscow Russia 860 works
  10. 10 Istanbul Türkiye 828 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. HerneDE · 51.7 works29×
  2. La MarsaTN · 48.5 works18×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Rheumatology than the world average.

See Rheumatology on the map

Rheumatology research by country

The best places for Rheumatology research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Rheumatology?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Occupational and Environmental Health Japan, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 24.9%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →University of Occupational and Environmental Health Japan: 66, 28.7%Zhejiang Chinese Medical University: 119, 31.3%Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College: 287, 19.5%Karolinska Institutet: 151, 23.8%Harvard University: 246, 23.8%Anhui Medical University: 128, 26.0%Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy: 75, 19.8%Southern Medical University: 118, 27.0%Sichuan University: 265, 21.4%Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine: 64, 27.7%Zhejiang Chinese Med…University of Occupa…Karolinska InstitutetChinese Academy of M…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1University of Occupational and Environmental Health Japan Japan 61.128.7%12.2×66 +4.6%
2Zhejiang Chinese Medical University China 57.031.3%5.0×119 +20.3%
3Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China 53.919.5%3.2×287 +64.4%
4Karolinska Institutet Sweden 53.723.8%3.7×151 +7.7%
5Harvard University United States 52.623.8%2.1×246 +8.3%
6Anhui Medical University China 50.626.0%4.7×128 -5.4%
7Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Romania 50.519.8%5.1×75 +150.9%
8Southern Medical University China 49.827.0%3.5×118 +20.2%
9Sichuan University China 49.421.4%1.7×265 +42.8%
10Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine China 48.827.7%7.3×64 -55.0%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Rheumatology research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 17% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Spondyloarthritis Studies and Treatments, GDF15 and Related Biomarkers and Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Spondyloarthritis Studies and Treatments+158%
  2. GDF15 and Related Biomarkers+140%
  3. Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies+129%
  4. IgG4-Related and Inflammatory Diseases+106%
  5. Moyamoya disease diagnosis and treatment+96%
  6. Otitis Media and Relapsing Polychondritis+89%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Rheumatology include?

Systemic Lupus Erythemat…57kSystemic Lupus Erythematosus Research: 57k fractional worksPelvic floor disorders t…55kPelvic floor disorders treatments: 55k fractional worksRheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies: 54k fractional worksOsteoarthritis Treatment…50kOsteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms: 50k fractional worksFolate and B Vitamins Re…45kFolate and B Vitamins Research: 45k fractional worksBone Tumor Diagnosis and Treatments: 34k fractional worksEosinophilic Disorders and Syndromes: 30k fractional worksUrticaria and Related Conditions: 27k fractional worksUrologic and reproductive health conditions: 26k fractional worksSpondyloarthritis Studies and Treatments: 25k fractional worksSoft tissue tumor case studies: 22k fractional worksBone and Dental Protein Studies: 19k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.