Biotin

The AMA House of Delegates adopted several new policies to promote public health at its annual meeting.

An excess of biotin can result in false-negative allergen-specific IgE results during the one-step biotin-streptavidin-based IMMULITE-2000 assay, according to a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

SAN DIEGO — About 20% of rural health clinic patients, primarily women, reported using biotin supplements, and about 30% of users reported excessive doses of at least 5 mg, according to survey results.

SAN DIEGO — In this video exclusive, Saleh Aldasouqi, MD, FACE, ECNU, discusses the false high or false low results of certain hormone tests for people who take high doses of biotin in beauty and energy supplements, for example.

Recently, my fellow and I saw a new patient who was referred for consultation about abnormal thyroid labs. I was a bit frustrated but also intrigued that this patient — aged at least 60 years and a retired administrator — had not heard about lab “glitches” associated with biotin use.

The FDA’s announcement to remind the public that biotin, or vitamin B7, can interfere with diagnostic tests and cause false results was the top story in cardiology last week.

The FDA has updated its safety communication to remind the public, health care providers, lab personnel and lab test developers that biotin, or vitamin B7, can significantly interfere with certain diagnostic tests and cause incorrect results that may go undetected. The FDA remains concerned, in particular, with the potential for false results for troponin, which could result in missed diagnoses for MI.

Abbott announced that a high-sensitivity troponin I blood test used to detect MI has received FDA clearance.