Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin consisting of numerous related compounds known as quinones. Vitamin K1 is known as phylloquinone and vitamin K2 produced by intestinal bacteria is termed manaquinone.
Vitamin k deficiency in healthy adults is uncommon because 1) vitamin K is present in green leaves of plants like spinach, cabbage and cauliflower which we eat.
Vitamin K deficiency in adults occurs only in acute liver diseases or in a patient who is on anticoagulant therapy.
Vitamin K Symptoms in Adults include
- Excessive and heavy menses.
- Bleeding from intestine.
- Hematuria (blood in urine).
- Nose bleed.
- Bruising from mild trauma.
- Prolonged clotting time.
Causes of Vitamin K Deficiency
- Extreme and inadequate intake of food.
- Fat malabsorption.
- Chronic illness
- Alcoholism.
- Abdominal surgery.
- Cystic fibrosis.
- Crohn’s disease
- Liver disease.
- Anticoagulants.
- Polycythemia vera
- Massive transfusion of blood.
Vitamin K Deficiency Treatment
- The treatment will depend on the underlying cause.
- Bleeding due to deficient synthesis of prothrombin because of impairment in liver function and also due to anticoagulant therapy, should be tackled by fresh frozen plasma.
- Vitamin K is of no use in bleeding disorder with a normal prothrombin time.
- Patient on prolonged oral antibiotic therapy may need oral or parenteral synthetic vitamin K as the doctor advises.