| Title | Prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in newborns. | | Author(s) | Zipursky A | | Institution | Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, and University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. | | Source | Br J Haematol 1999 Mar; 104(3):430-7. | | MeSH | Administration, Oral
Blood Coagulation
Hemorrhagic Disease of Newborn
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Injections, Intramuscular
Neoplasms
Risk Factors
Vitamin K
Vitamin K Deficiency
| | Abstract | Newborn babies are born vitamin K deficient; however, the deficiency is not sufficiently severe to cause a vitamin K deficiency coagulopathy and haemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN). Severe vitamin K deficiency can develop quickly in breast-fed newborns and can result in the appearance of classic HDN during the first week of life or late HDN during the first 2 months of life. Both forms of the disease can be severe, causing brain damage and death. Classic and late HDN are prevented by the intramuscular administration of vitamin K at birth. Oral prophylaxis prevents classic HDN but is ineffective in preventing late HDN. Despite proven effectiveness of intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis there have been concerns about the need for, and safety of, this therapy. This review provides evidence that there is need for intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis for all babies in order to eradicate haemorrhagic disease of the newborn and concludes that there is no evidence that this therapy is harmful. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Review
| | PubMed ID | 10086774 |
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