Assessment of biotin interference in thyroid function tests

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Endocrinology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Biotin is a common supplement, often exceeding recommended dietary intake.
• High-dose biotin intake can interfere with various immunoassays, including thyroid function tests.
• Understanding interference patterns and washout periods is crucial for accurate clinical diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the interference of biotin on thyroid function tests.
• To determine the necessary biotin washout periods for accurate thyroid function test results.
• To compare interference across different immunoassay platforms.

Main Methods:

• Ten healthy adults received daily biotin doses of 5 and 10 mg for seven days.
• Thyroid function test analytes were measured at baseline and at various time points after biotin withdrawal.
• Assays were performed on Roche cobas e602, Beckman UniCel DxI 800, and Abbott Architect 2000 immunoassay platforms.

Main Results:

• Biotin (5 or 10 mg/day) caused positive or negative interference in thyroid function tests on Roche and Beckman platforms, but not on Abbott.
• Interference from 5 mg/day biotin lasted up to 8 hours on Roche and Beckman systems.
• Interference from 10 mg/day biotin persisted for 1-2 days on Roche and Beckman systems.

Conclusions:

• Biotin intake can significantly interfere with thyroid function tests, necessitating careful consideration of supplement use.
• Specific washout periods are required to mitigate biotin interference on Roche and Beckman immunoassay platforms.
• The Abbott Architect 2000 platform demonstrated no interference, suggesting platform-specific susceptibility to biotin.