This bibliometric analysis revealed a significant upward trend in the scientific literature on SLE-related infections during pregnancy, underscoring the expanding clinical and scientific importance of this field. While the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy led in total number of papers, Hungary, Greece, and the Netherlands showed high levels of scientific impact citation-wise. Furthermore, analyses of journals, institutions, authors, and funding sources revealed that research in this field is centered on particular centers and collaborative efforts, while the distribution of keywords confirmed that themes related to pregnancy, infection, and women’s health predominate in the literature.

Recent clinical data underscore the importance of improved pregnancy care in SLE. A nationwide Finnish case-control study indicated generally moderate pregnancy outcomes, although it revealed elevated rates of urgent cesarean deliveries and neonatal critical care unit admissions among women with SLE compared to controls [17]. Moreover, evidence from specialized pregnancy and rheumatic disease clinics suggests that organized pre-pregnancy planning may mitigate disease flares and medication changes during pregnancy [18], likely contributing to the increasing research interest identified in this bibliometric analysis.

The rising trend in publication volume reflects the growing clinical and scientific relevance of SLE-related infections during pregnancy. The notable rise in publication output, particularly in recent years, may be attributed to the heightened emphasis on pregnancy counseling and the necessity for a deeper comprehension of the infection risks faced by this patient group [19, 20]. Furthermore, the increased use of immunosuppressive and biologic agents in SLE treatment may have contributed to the infection risk during pregnancy, becoming a more complex clinical issue [21, 22]. This situation may have heightened the need for evidence-based strategies to prevent, diagnose, and manage infections, possibly encouraging research in this area.

The extensive geographical dispersion of papers, with contributions from 71 countries, underscores the global relevance of SLE-related infections during pregnancy. However, the identification of 28 main active countries reveals that scientific activity is concentrated in certain regions. The prominence of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy in publication output certainly indicates robust research systems, specialized referral institutions, and sustained funding [23]. Hungary, Greece, and the Netherlands exhibited the most citations per paper. The elevated citation rates in such countries may be ascribed to an emphasis on hypothesis-centered investigations, pivotal clinical trials, or research that feeds guidelines and significantly impacts future studies.

High number of papers in Lupus, Frontiers in Immunology, and Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases suggests that this issue is predominantly addressed within the fields of rheumatology and immunology. The fact that Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Blood, and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology rank high in the evaluation of citations per publication suggests that studies in these journals have substantial scientific influence on the literature. The inclusion of Blood and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in particular, suggests that infections related to SLE during pregnancy are not restricted to the field of rheumatology.

Keyword analysis indicates that the literature was predominantly organized around clinical research on human subjects, female characteristics, and pregnancy. The high frequency of the terms “Systemic Lupus Erythematosus”, “Pregnancy”, and “Infection” indicates that the study’s topic was clearly and consistently handled in the literature.

The institutional distribution shows that publications on SLE-related infections in pregnancy were concentrated in institutions with strong academic infrastructure and multidisciplinary approaches. The prominence of institutions such as the University of Toronto, Università degli Studi di Milano, and Harvard Medical School suggests that these centers have strong research traditions in rheumatology, obstetrics, and immunology.

An analysis of funding sources suggests that most research is conducted with significant public support at the national level. The prominence of funding institutions, notably those in the United States (NIH and NIAMS), reflects the presence of long-term research plans in this subject [24, 25]. Contributions from national research funds in China, Japan, and the United Kingdom suggest that this topic has emerged as a global research priority.

The study has several limitations. First, the analysis was restricted to the Scopus database. Therefore, certain papers indexed by other reputable databases may have been excluded from the research. However, given the broad scope of the Scopus database, the current data correctly reflect research trends in the field [26]. Second, bibliometric analyses rely on quantitative indicators, and the scientific quality, methodological soundness, and clinical influence of papers are not examined. Citation counts and bibliometric indicators reflect the influence of publications, but they are dynamic metrics that vary over time. Although no language restrictions were set in the study, publications in languages other than English received fewer citations, which may have influenced the interpretation of specific results. Finally, this study has a cross-sectional design, with analyses based on data obtained on a particular date. As a result, future publications or changes in citation numbers over time are not captured in the current analysis.

From an organizational standpoint, this bibliometric analysis may inform the design of rheumatological and obstetric care for pregnant women with SLE, underscoring the importance of managing infection risk during pregnancy. The presence of numerous high-impact studies in multidisciplinary centers underscores the need for coordinated care approaches that integrate expertise in rheumatology, obstetrics, and infectology, along with structured pre-pregnancy counseling, to improve outcomes.