(RxWiki News) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are warning that some lead tests may not provide accurate results.
The tests in question are manufactured by Magellan Diagnostics. Exposure to lead affects almost every system in the body and can be especially dangerous to infants and young children.
Because some lead test results may be inaccurate, the CDC is recommending that pregnant women, nursing mothers and parents of children younger than 6 years old who have previously been tested for lead exposure ask their health care provider if retesting is necessary.
According to the CDC, the following people should be retested if their test was performed using blood drawn from a vein with any Magellan Diagnostics LeadCare System test and if they received a result of less than 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL):
- Children younger than 6 years old
- Women who are currently pregnant or nursing and who were tested in this manner while pregnant or nursing
Other adults who are concerned about their risk should ask their health care provider if retesting is needed, according to the CDC.
This warning comes after data indicated that Magellan lead tests, when conducted on blood drawn from a vein, produced results that were lower than the actual level of lead in the blood. The CDC said this issue may go back to 2014. The warning includes LeadCare, LeadCare II, LeadCare Plus and LeadCare Ultra tests.
All LeadCare tests can be used with blood from a finger or heel stick, according to the CDC.
