title: Vitamin K deficiency in chronic alcoholic males.
abstract: Twenty male alcoholic subjects were studied initially within 1 day after stopping alcohol and again after about 1 week. Vitamin and mineral measurements were made on blood and abnormal prothrombin molecules quantitated for vitamin K status. Nine of the 20 patients received menadiol after the initial blood sample. Twelve of the alcoholics had significant elevations of abnormal prothrombin. Of these 12, all five who received vitamin K reduced the abnormal prothrombin levels toward normal but no change was observed in the seven who did not receive vitamin K. All nine patients receiving vitamin K lowered the abnormal prothrombin level significantly whereas there was no change in those 11 who did not receive vitamin K. The prothrombin time by the one-stage technique was normal in all patients. These data suggest that the production of abnormal prothrombin is frequently present in alcoholics and this may represent a subclinical vitamin K deficiency.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000378:metabolism; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D014812:Vitamin K; D011516:Prothrombin