This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The clinical picture of the disease is non-specific. Bruising is common, spontaneous haemorrhage is rare and surgical bleeding is increased. Features linked to the stages of Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) include: (1)

  • Early VKDB.

Presents with bleeding at sites related to the trauma of birth, such as the scalp monitor site and cephalhaematomas following a ventouse delivery.

  • Classic VKDB

Typically presents as bleeding from organs, such as the gut, skin or mucous membranes and also bleeding from the umbilical stump.

  • Late VKDB

Peaks at 3-8 weeks old and typically presents with intracranial haemorrhage and is often caused by undiagnosed cholestasis with resultant malabsorption of vitamin K.6. Late VKDB causes the greatest risk of death due to sudden bleeding into the central nervous system. (2)

 

References

  1. Marchili MR, Santoro E, Marchesi A, et al. Vitamin K deficiency: a case report and review of current guidelines. Ital J Pediatr. 2018 Mar 14;44(1):36
  2. Elalfy MS, Elagouza IA, Ibrahim FA, et al. Intracranial haemorrhage is linked to late onset vitamin K deficiency in infants aged 2-24 weeks. Acta Paediatr. 2014 Jun;103(6)

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.