Interpretation of common endocrine laboratory tests: technical pitfalls, their mechanisms and practical considerations

Abstract

Pitfalls in hormonal assays are commonly seen in clinical practice and may lead to erroneous clinical impressions and treatments. In this article, we address common laboratory pitfalls encountered during evaluation of patients with real or presumed endocrine disorders including high dose hook effect and falsely normal prolactin in cases of macroprolactinomas, macroprolactinemia and falsely elevated prolactin, macrothyrotropinemia and falsely elevated TSH, heterophile antibodies leading to false elevation of hormonal concentration, biotin interference with different hormonal assays, cross-reactivity of steroid hormones immunoassays, and others. We describe the mechanisms of such laboratory pitfalls, review clinical scenarios in which they might occur, and discuss the ways to resolve such conundrums. The aim of this article is to present a learning material for the endocrine trainees and practitioners.