Prophylaxis of intracranial hemorrhage due to vitamin K deficiency in infants.
To determine the most effective way of preventing intracranial hemorrhage due to vitamin K deficiency in infants, we first performed a comparative study using Normotest on the effects of several regimens for the oral administration of vitamin K2. Based on the results, we gave vitamin K2 orally, 2 mg, at birth, and then, 4 mg, at 1 week of age (on discharge from the newborn nursery) to all infants except premature and low-birth-weight infants born in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Since then, as the number of infants with vitamin K2 prophylaxis increased, patients with intracranial hemorrhage due to vitamin K deficiency decreased in number, and no patient was found in 1984. The incidence of this disease in infants with vitamin K prophylaxis was 1/68,500, which was one-twentieth of that (1/3,500 live births) before the period when most neonates received vitamin K prophylaxis. From the results, we concluded that the oral administration of vitamin K2 at birth and 1 week of age prevents this disease.
Matsuzaka
T
T
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Nagasaki University, Japan.
Yoshinaga
M
M
Tsuji
Y
Y
D000284:Administration, Oral; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency / Q000517:prevention & control*
D014812:Vitamin K