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Newborn infants have low stores of vitamin K, and human breast milk has low concentrations of the vitamin. This combination can lead to vitamin K deficiency and later onset bleeding. Vitamin K deficiency leads to the risk of blood coagulation problems due to impaired production of clotting factors II, VII, IX, X, protein C and protein S by the ...
The blood clotting factors of newborn babies are roughly 30–60% that of adult values; this appears to be a consequence of poor transfer of the vitamin across the placenta, and thus low fetal plasma vitamin K. [19] Occurrence of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in the first week of the infant's life is estimated at between 1 in 60 and 1 in 250.
Vitamin K 1-deficiency may occur by disturbed intestinal uptake (such as would occur in a bile duct obstruction), by therapeutic or accidental intake of a vitamin K 1-antagonist such as warfarin, or, very rarely, by nutritional vitamin K 1 deficiency. As a result, Gla-residues are inadequately formed and the Gla-proteins are insufficiently active.
Fetal warfarin syndrome is a disorder of the embryo which occurs in a child whose mother took the medication warfarin (brand name: Coumadin) during pregnancy.Resulting abnormalities include low birth weight, slower growth, intellectual disability, deafness, small head size, and malformed bones, cartilage, and joints.
Newborn infants are a special case. Plasma vitamin K is low at birth, even if the mother is supplemented during pregnancy, because the vitamin is not transported across the placenta. Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) due to physiologically low vitamin K plasma concentrations is a serious risk for premature and term newborn and young infants.
Tolerable upper intake levels (UL), to caution against excessive intake of nutrients (like vitamin A and selenium) that can be harmful in large amounts. This is the highest level of sustained daily nutrient consumption that is considered to be safe for, and cause no side effects in, 97.5% of healthy individuals in each life stage and sex group.
[2] [3] Vitamin K injections are administered to newborns as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of hemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN). [ 4 ] [ 5 ] The coagulation pathway helps the body stop active bleeds by using vitamin K dependent clotting factors (factors II, VII, IX, and X) which are synthesized by the liver.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an intestinal disease that affects premature or very low birth weight infants. [4] [1] Symptoms may include poor feeding, bloating, decreased activity, blood in the stool, vomiting of bile, multi-organ failure, and potentially death.