Quest Recalls Inaccurate Vitamin D Test Results
Quest Diagnostics, the country's largest medical diagnostics company, has admitted that it sent out several inaccurate Vitamin D analysis test results to doctors and patients in 2008. The company made the announcement after a probe launched in July of last year, which confirmed errors in a large number of test results. The investigation was launched after several doctors complained about the veracity of the Vitamin D test results of their patients. The number of erroneous test results could possibly be in the thousands, with one industry watcher calling it the "largest test result recall" ever by a diagnostics facility.
Vitamin D testing has seen a surge in demand in the last couple of years as studies have linked the use of Vitamin D supplements to the prevention of heart disease and cancer, among other conditions. Doctors say that the flawed test results could either show a too-low reading or a too-high one. A too-high one could mean that the patient is prescribed lower dosages of Vitamin D supplements, and a too low reading could have dangerous consequences in the form of Vitamin D over dosage. Symptoms of Vitamin D over dosage include nausea, vomiting, and abnormal heart rhythms. If the over dosage continues over a period of time, the extra calcium and phosphorus may get deposited in the kidneys, leading to the formation of kidney stones.
So far, the company has claimed that it has not received any reports of injuries arising out of the inaccurate rest results, but one doctor in New York has confirmed that one of his patients displayed symptoms of Vitamin D toxicity.
Quest has known about this problem since it was brought to their attention in 2007. The company has decided to come clean now and admit there have been errors. Georgia negligence and malpractice lawyers need to ask why the long delay? Even now, there has been no confirmation from Quest about which of its laboratories was involved in the erroneous results, and how many of these incorrect results there really are.
