FDA has issued a warning that biotin i.e. vitamin B7, can interfere with the results of various laboratory tests, including troponin test for diagnosis of MI. There have number of reported adverse events, including death, related to biotin interference with lab tests. High level of biotin in blood or other samples taken from patients can cause falsely high or falsely low lab test results, leading to inappropriate patient management or misdiagnosis.
In one such case, a patient taking high levels of biotin died because of falsely low troponin test results. Many dietary supplements contain up to 650 times the recommended daily intake of biotin. Further, patients with certain conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) may be consuming high levels of biotin as per physician’s recommendations. As physicians may not be aware of biotin interference with lab assays, and whether or not their…
