False high testosterone of unknown reason in a clinically inconspicuous female

Abstract

Abstract Background This report investigates an unusual total testosterone result in a middle-aged female. Case presentation A 40-year-old female patient was found to have high serum total testosterone of 30.82 nmol/L on a Beckman Coulter UniCel® DxI800 automatic chemiluminescence immunoanalyzer without appropriate clinical appearance. Heterophile antibody interference was considered for elevated testosterone and investigated; reanalysis of the original serum sample and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were performed. Reanalysis of the original serum sample using Roche® and Siemens® immunoassays both gave a normal total testosterone level. Beckman Coulter® also excluded the possibility of interference by heterophile antibodies. Finally, LC-MS/MS showed that the total testosterone level was in the normal range. Conclusions This report highlights the importance of ruling out the interfering factors for false high values of the analyte in laboratories.