Vitamin K Deficiency

Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin, which is basically known for its crucial role in blood clotting. Lack or deficiency of this vitamin can manifest in easy bruising or bleeding. Vitamin K also ensures proper absorption of the mineral, calcium, for which this vitamin can help to prevent diseases like, loss of bone density and osteoporosis. These can be termed as some of the most important vitamin K benefits. There are basically three types of vitamin K, which are known as vitamin K1 or phylloquinone, vitamin K2 or menaquinone and vitamin K3 or menadione. Out of these, vitamin K1 can be found in foods like, leafy green vegetables and dairy products, while vitamin K2 is synthesized by the bacteria found in the human intestine. Vitamin K3 on the other hand, is a synthetic form of vitamin K used for the treatment of vitamin K deficiency in adults. Given below is some more information on the deficiency of vitamin K and its causes, symptoms and treatment.

What Causes Vitamin K Deficiency?

Deficiency of vitamin K can be associated with several diseases. It is rarely caused by insufficient dietary intake of vitamin K, as vitamin K can be abundantly found in green leafy vegetables, certain fruits and dairy products. More commonly, the deficiency of vitamin K can be caused by factors like, liver damage or liver cirrhosis, overuse of some antibiotics and antacids, inflammatory bowel disease, gallbladder disease, cystic fibrosis, chronic illness, alcoholism, malnutrition and eating disorders like, bulimia.

Some other possible vitamin K deficiency causes are, yeast infection, leukemia, lupus, hepatitis, fat malabsorption and use of certain drugs like, salicylates, barbiturates, and cefamandole. Infants are more likely to experience the deficiency of vitamin K than adults, as breast milk does not contain sufficient vitamin K, and babies are born with a sterile intestine that does not contain enough bacteria, which can synthesize vitamin K. Poor transmission of lipids and vitamin K from the placenta too can cause this vitamin deficiency in newborn babies. Vitamin K deficiency in babies can lead to hemorrhagic disease, which is commonly known as 'vitamin K deficiency bleeding'.

Vitamin K Deficiency Symptoms

Deficiency of vitamin K can produce several symptoms, which can vary depending on the extent of deficiency. Deficiency of vitamin K in infants can lead to internal bleeding. Presence of blood in urine, or blood in bowel movement of the baby are some of the important symptoms of vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin K deficiency symptoms in adults include:

• Delay in blood clotting
• Easy bruising or bleeding
• Heavy menstrual bleeding in women
• Frequent nosebleeds
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Gum bleeding
• Hematuria or presence of blood in urine
• Osteopenia
• Bone fractures
• Hematomas

Vitamin K Deficiency Treatment

Mild deficiency of vitamin K can be treated by simply adding more vitamin K foods in the diet. Green leafy vegetables like, spinach, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, as well as asparagus, cauliflower, parsley and broccoli are some of the food items high in vitamin K. Apart from these, vegetables oils like, olive oil, canola oil and soybean oil, fruits like, kiwifruit and avocados, meat, eggs, yogurt and some kinds of cheese also contain vitamin K. Supplements of probiotics can also help to restore the level of vitamin K by stimulating its bacterial synthesis in the digestive system. However, severe deficiency of vitamin K can require the administration of oral and intravenous medications. If all these treatment options fail to cure the condition, then the physician can recommend plasma transfusion.

So, this was all about deficiency of vitamin K, vitamin K deficiency causes, symptoms and treatment. Deficiency of vitamin K usually does not lead to any major health complication in adults. But, newborns can develop hemorrhagic disease due to the deficiency of this vitamin. To prevent hemorrhagic disease in newborn babies, they are usually given vitamin K injections at birth. Symptoms of vitamin K deficiency can sometimes resemble the symptoms of certain other health conditions like, scurvy, liver damage, thrombocytopenia and purpura. Even the symptoms of anticoagulant therapy can be a bit similar to the deficiency symptoms of vitamin K. Therefore, to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment, the symptoms of vitamin K deficiency need to be thoroughly evaluated by consulting a certified physician.