#1705885 Biotin-related lab interference: The Prevalence of excessive Biotin use in a residency clinic

This research study aims to analyze the prevalence of biotin use in excess in our population of a residency clinic and evaluate the potential hazard this population is subjected to. It also aims to compare the data with previous known studies, which are very scarce in the literature. The findings of our study can help guide physicians and laboratories to develop effective strategies to mitigate health risks and in assessing biotin usage trends within their own patient populations. Analytical, observational, cross sectional study was conducted utilizing surveys distributed to patients at a residency clinic to collect data on patient-reported biotin use, their daily dose and amount a day, also their demographic information. In accordance with the American Academy of Clinical Chemistry, doses more than 5mg of biotin were defined as clinically significant. The main goal of the study was to determine the prevalence of biotin use in a residency clinic population and note if there were any demographic differences from other populations previously reported. From preliminary data collection between August and November 2023, there were 178 participants that agreed to participate in the study. Two participants with incomplete data were excluded. In the remaining 176 patients, the mean age was 45 years, ranging between 20 and 94 years old. Biotin usage was reported by 41 individuals, 6 of whom reporting dosages more than 5mg a day, a prevalence of 3.4%. However 68% of patients were unsure about the exact amount of biotin they were taking. Only 3.4% of patients had biotin listed in their medication list. There was no association between biotin usage and age, gender or race. This is the first study to report on the prevalence of clinically significant biotin use in a residency clinic. Compared to previous studies in other populations, there is a similar prevalence of biotin use, although our study showed lower prevalence of dosages that can potentially interfere with laboratory essays. However, considering the high percentage of participants not reporting dosages this prevalence is underestimated. With this information, it was found that clinically significant biotin dosages use is not uncommon and a significant amount of people may be prone to have equivocal laboratory results and potentially misdiagnoses from this.