Vitamin Deficiency | Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Vitamin K Deficiency is a type of vitamin deficiency that is not as common as other types but can have serious consequences. When you present vitamin K deficiency you show it through spontaneous bleeding or excessive bleeding when an injury has occurred.

Vitamin K (Koagulatios Vitamin), is required for blood coagulation and according to Us DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) a young man needs per day an amount of 120 micrograms per day. Sources where you can find this vitamin include swiss chard, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, avocado, cauliflowers, kiwi, soybean, parsley, eggs, diary andmeat among others.

Vitamin K Deficiency Symptoms

The symptoms of vitamin deficiency are more commonly present in newborn children. This occurs when the mother doesn’t have adequate levels of vitamin K in her blood, since the milk provides the unborn baby of all the vitamins and nutrients it needs. When the baby is born, he/she already has a deficiency and the symptom on newborns may develop, this is called the hemorrhagic disease of the newborn, and affects 1 in 100 babies. This means that the baby starts bleeding spontaneously, and in some cases this can lead to death.

On the other hand, we can see that the cases of Vitamin K deficiency in adults is rare. It occurs mostly on adults that ingest antibiotics (this kills the bacteria on the digestive track), and in people who suffer from cystic fibrosis, cholestasis or celiac disease. Again the symtoms appear in the form of spontaneous bleeding. In adults this occurs frequently on the gums and places that suffer damage.

Other people may have a Vitamin K deficiency caused by the action of some medicines that can cause its depletion in the body. In all these cases patients need to get supplemental Vitamin K to restore the levels of this vitamin required.

Treatment of Vitamin K Deficiency

In the case of newborn babies, the treatment is an injection of phylloquinone. In the case of adults, the Vitamin K is supplemented with the help of oral doses for a seven day period.

Vitamin K Deficiency Prevention

To avoid problem with infants, the mother must be the responsible of giving the necessary nutrients. Pregnant women need to ensure that food like spinach, brussel sprouts or broccoli are contained within the diet. You can read the article again to find full information the food needed to get proper levels of Vitamin K.

How to Know If There’s a Deficiency of Vitamin D?

Doctors use the prothrombin time test to measure the levels of Vitamin K. This is done thanks to a machine that measures the tame it takes to from blood clots. In normal people the time is of approximately 13 seconds, but people with Vitamin K Deficiency need several minutes.