In plain words
Vitamin K deficiency bleeding is bleeding in a newborn caused by low vitamin K. Vitamin K helps the blood clot. Newborns have little of it at birth, and breast milk has less than formula. Bleeding can happen in the first day, in the first week, or in the first few months. Bleeding from the umbilical cord, the skin, or the gut can happen. Bleeding inside the head is the most serious form. Most US hospitals offer vitamin K shortly after birth to lower the risk. Unusual bruising, or bleeding that does not stop, is a reason to call the pediatrician right away. Bleeding with sleepiness, vomiting, or a bulging is a call to 911.
The deeper version
Vitamin K deficiency bleeding has early (first 24 hours, usually from maternal anticonvulsant or anticoagulant exposure), classical (days 2 to 7), and late (weeks 2 to 12 and up to 6 months) forms. The late form carries the highest intracranial hemorrhage rate, and in many series a large share of cases are intracranial, typically in exclusively breastfed infants and in infants with unrecognized cholestasis or malabsorption that impairs oral vitamin K absorption. The AAP policy statement on vitamin K (2003) recommends prophylaxis at birth, and the Shearer review (Blood Reviews, 2009) summarizes the pathophysiology of low vitamin K status in the newborn. Controversy persists about the route of prophylaxis and the parental choice to decline, with the AAP maintaining a recommendation for routine intramuscular prophylaxis.
Where it comes up
- Newborn procedures: vitamin K, eye ointment, hepatitis B, screeningGetting Ready for Birth
- Umbilical cord careBaby Basics
- The first 24 hoursBirth and the First Days
What mothers here say about vitamin K deficiency bleeding
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Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Policy Statement: Controversies Concerning Vitamin K and the Newborn, 2003
- Shearer MJ — Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) in early infancy. Blood Reviews 2009