A rise in adverse events, including one death, due to biotin interference with lab tests overseas has implications for Australia, experts warn.
Biotin (also known as vitamin B7) is found in levels well above the US recommended daily allowance of 0.03 mg in a range of over the counter vitamins and hair, skin and nail growth supplements.
High levels in patient samples can lead to false negative and false positive results in pathology tests – including tests for hormones and troponin – that use biotin technology.
The technology uses biotin due to its ability to bond with specific proteins which can be measured to detect certain health conditions.
Now the FDA is warning of an increase in the number of reported adverse events, including one death, related to biotin interference with lab tests.
The recommended daily allowance of 0.03 mg per day will not cause significant interference, but some supplements contain up to 20 mg, while some physicians recommend up to 300 mg per day for conditions like multiple sclerosis, the US agency said.
Given some labs in Australia are highly dependent on biotin technology the warning has implications here in Australia, said Clinical Professor John Burnett, a consultant chemical pathologist at PathWest in Western Australia.
The range of biotin-based tests include hormone tests, serology for hepatitis, tumour markers and troponin, he said.