Biological assessment is an integral part of the diagnostic process that guides therapeutic management decisions. However, these analyses remain subject to interference from endogenous or exogenous factors, which may alter the results.

To provide an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the most commonly documented types of interference attributable to medications, to ensure reliable interpretation of test results and better management of patients.

This comprehensive systematic review of the literature was carried out in 2018. The bibliographic search was carried out in various online databases, specifically PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar.

Only publications in French or English concerning medicinal products for human use were retained. The investigators' examination of drug-related interference with laboratory tests was limited to blood assays (serum or plasma).

An Excel spreadsheet was used to analyze the results. A total of 82 articles were selected. The interferences studied affected 47 biological parameters corresponding to various types of assessment: hormonal, hepatic, and renal.

The mechanisms reported in the literature identified were analytical (56.9%), physiological (17.82%), and pharmacological (20.11%). The remainder of the mechanisms (5.17%) were not defined.

Clinicians should be vigilant in validating and interpreting laboratory test results for patients receiving these types of drugs. Dialogue between clinicians and biological scientists is the best way to avoid unnecessary additional testing, which is often cumbersome and costly.