Knowledge Base and Emerging Frontiers in Post-Tuberculosis Lung Disease Research (2015-2025): A Bibliometric Analysis Based on the Web of Science

Background: Post-tuberculosis lung disease (PTLD) constitutes a substantial global public health burden, yet its overall research landscape has not been systematically quantified. This bibliometric study characterizes global research trends and the knowledge architecture of PTLD publications issued between 2015 and 2025. Methods: We retrieved PTLD-related literature from the Web of Science Core Collection using search terms including "post-tuberculosis lung disease" and "tuberculosis sequelae". Only English original articles were retained, yielding a final dataset of 353 publications. We adopted VOSviewer, CiteSpace and the Bibliometrix R package to visualize annual publication outputs, cross-country and institutional collaborations, author co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence patterns, and citation burst dynamics. Results: Annual publications rose from 13 in 2015 to 67 in 2025, with 71.4% of all papers published from 2021 to 2025. The five most productive nations were the United States (72 papers), India (61), China (51), the United Kingdom (49), and South Africa (38). The US and UK occupied core hub positions in international collaboration networks. Leading institutions included Stellenbosch University (20 articles), the University of Cape Town (14), and the University of Liverpool/Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (10). Keyword co-occurrence clustering identified eight thematic groups, with dominant hotspots covering post-tuberculosis bronchiectasis, pulmonary function impairment, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), and quality of life. The keywords with the strongest recent citation bursts were "post-tuberculosis lung disease" (strength = 3.79), "prevalence" (3.70), and "quality of life" (2.51). Research frontiers extending to 2025 center on standardized PTLD conceptual framing, pulmonary rehabilitation, and long-term clinical outcome assessment. Conclusions: PTLD research has shifted from merely describing structural lung damage toward standardized disease definitions, functional pulmonary testing, complication management, and patient quality-of-life improvement. Future research priorities should include prospective multicenter cohort studies, individualized pulmonary rehabilitation programs, and host-directed therapies to mitigate the global burden of chronic PTLD.