Editorial

Vitamin K and Hemorrhagic Disease of Newborns

Authors: Muhammad Waseem, MD

Abstract

First described by Charles Townsend in 1894,1 hemorrhagic disease of newborns (HDN) is undoubtedly linked to vitamin K deficiency and can cause bleeding in infants in the first few weeks of life. It is one of the causes of acquired hemostatic disorder in early infancy. Vitamin K is a cofactor for the hepatic carboxylation of glutamic acid residues in a number of proteins, including the procoagulant factors II, VII, IX and X.

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References

1. Townsend CW. The Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Arch Pediatr 1894;11:559.
 
2. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Controversies concerning vitamin K and the newborn. Pediatrics 2003;112:191–192.
 
3. Danielsson N. Intracranial haemorrhage due to late onset vitamin K deficiency bleeding in Hanoi province, Vietnam. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2004;89:F546–550.
 
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6. Sutor AH, Dagres N, Niederhoff H. Late form of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in Germany. Klin Padiatr 1995;207:89–97.