Vitamin K deficiency and hemorrhage in infancy.
Hemorrhage in the infant from vitamin K deficiency is still a concern in pediatrics. Vitamin K given intramuscularly will largely prevent hemorrhagic disease in the newborn, even in infants who are exclusively breast-fed and are thus at the greatest risk for bleeding. The vitamin K content of human milk is very low compared with standard infant formulas. Results with oral vitamin K prophylaxis, currently used in some countries following the association found in a single report between childhood cancer and intramuscular vitamin K, are far more controversial. Any role of vitamin K in the prevention of IVH in premature infants has not been sufficiently demonstrated. Ongoing developments in this field will lead to improved methods of detecting early vitamin K deficiency and perhaps suitable alternatives to intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis in the newborn.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
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Greer
D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D006475:Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding / Q000209:etiology
D014812:Vitamin K