Vitamin K deficiency

Background

• Cofactor for vitamin K-dependent clotting factors II, VII, IX, X
  • Used by liver
  • Fat soluble

Causes

• Nutritional deficiency
• Malabsorption
• Cholestasis: since it is fat soluble and needs bile salts to be absorbed

Clinical Features

• Increased bleeding

Differential Diagnosis

Coagulopathy

Platelet Related

• Too few
  • Thrombocytopenia
• Nonfunctional
  • Aspirin
  • Von Willebrand disease

Factor Related

• Acquired (Drug Related)
  • Warfarin (Coumadin)
  • Unfractionated Heparin
  • Low Molecular Weight Heparin (Enoxaparin) (i.e. Lovenox)
• Illness induced
  • Vitamin K deficiency
  • Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)
  • Liver disease induced coagulopathy
  • Uremic bleeding syndrome
• Genetic
  • Hemophilia
  • Factor VIII inhibitor
  • Lupus anticoagulant

Vitamin deficiencies

• Vitamin A deficiency
• Vitamin B deficiencies
  • Vitamin B1 deficiency (Thiamine)
    • Beriberi
    • Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
  • Vitamin B3 deficiency (Pellagra)
  • Vitamin B9 deficiency (Folate)
  • Vitamin B7 deficiency (Biotin)
  • Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Vitamin C deficiency (Scurvy)
• Vitamin D deficiency (Rickets)
• Vitamin E deficiency
• Vitamin K deficiency

Management

• Fresh Frozen Plasma: 1ml contains 1U of each clotting factor
• Consider Vitamin K oral or IV (subcutaneous not recommended): will take up to 24 hours to work and up to 2 weeks to wear off

See Also

• Warfarin (Coumadin) Reversal
• Coagulopathy (Main)

References

Authors

Ross Donaldson, Joe Lex, Daniel Ostermayer, Neil Young