Vitamin K Deficiency

Vitamin K Deficiency is a topic covered in the Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics.

To view the entire topic, please or .

The Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics helps you diagnose and treat hundreds of medical conditions. Consult clinical recommendations from a resource that has been trusted on the wards for 50+ years. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

General Principles

Vitamin K deficiency is usually caused by malabsorption states or poor dietary intake, especially when combined with antibiotic-associated loss of intestinal bacterial colonization. Hepatocytes require vitamin K to complete the γ-carboxylation-mediated synthesis of clotting factors (X, IX, VII, prothrombin) and the natural anticoagulant proteins C and S.

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

General Principles

Vitamin K deficiency is usually caused by malabsorption states or poor dietary intake, especially when combined with antibiotic-associated loss of intestinal bacterial colonization. Hepatocytes require vitamin K to complete the γ-carboxylation-mediated synthesis of clotting factors (X, IX, VII, prothrombin) and the natural anticoagulant proteins C and S.

There's more to see -- the rest of this entry is available only to subscribers.