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Vitamin K Deficiency In Childhood
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Description
Vitamin K is produced by the body, and helps the blood to clot. Thus,
it is essential to prevent serious bleeding. Vitamin K prevents a now
rare, but often fatal, bleeding disorder called Haemorrhagic
Disease of the Newborn (HDN). HDN can cause bleeding into the brain,
which may result in brain damage. HDN can be early (0-24 hours), classic
(2-5 days) or late (1-12weeks).
Babies don't have enough of their own vitamin K until they're a few months
old. Babies do not get enough of the vitamin from their mothers during
pregnancy and don't get much from breast milk either and thus need extra
vitamin K until they build up their own supplies.
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for the major features of HDN.
Symptoms and Signs
The warning signs of HDN include spontaneous
bruising or excessive bruising after minor injury, nose bleeds, oozing
or bleeding from the umbilicus, dark vomit, dark stools or blood in the
nappy, or excessive bleeding from skin lesions. Other less specific warning
signs include pallor, irritability and jaundice. These signs should be
treated seriously even if vitamin K prophylaxis has been given. Parents
should be advised to seek immediate medical advice if their infant has
any of these signs.
Late HDN commonly presents with intracranial haemorrhage, which can be
fatal or result in permanent neurological damage. Cases
of HDN have been reported in infants up to the age of 4 months.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Nowadays routine administration of vitamin K at birth, usually a single
1 mg intramuscular injection, prevents virtually all cases of classic
and late HDN.
The American Academy of Paediatrics advises giving newborns an injection
of vitamin K intramuscularly within 1 hour of birth to prevent HDN. Giving
vitamin K by mouth is not recommended as it may not be completely swallowed
or absorbed and more than one dose is required to protect against late
HDN.
The information in this page is presented in summarised form and has been taken
from the following source(s):
1. Commonwealth of Australia, National Health and Medical
Research Council
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Introduction
