Fig. 1

Study cohort selection process. Patients aged ≥ 40 years with ICD10 diagnosis codes for gout who initiated febuxostat or allopurinol were eligible for inclusion. Patients were required to be free of any urate-lowering therapy for at least 12 months prior to the first dispensing date. Those with a diagnosis of any retinal disorders, type 1 diabetes (T1DM), cancer, or chronic kidney disease during the 12-month pre-index period were excluded.