Vitamin K deficiency causes, signs and symptoms:
Vitamin K deficiency may be common in newborn infants as the mother’s milk can supply about 20% of the baby’s requirements. Additionally, newborns do not have any vitamin K-producing bacteria in their bodies. Therefore, infants are likely to develop hemorrhagic disease as an outcome of vitamin K deficiency. About 1% of all infants suffers from that.
Vitamin K deficiency in adults is uncommon as the vitamin is present in many foods. It occurs in people who suffer from diseases which prevent absorption of fat, such as cholestasis, cystic fibrosis and celiac disease. Moreover, people who take antibiotics which kill bacteria that live in the digestive tract may also suffer from vitamin K deficiency.
See also: Vitamin K overview, Vitamin K deficiency description, Vitamin K deficienfcy diagnosis, Vitamin K deficienfcy treatment, Vitamin K deficienfcy prevention