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Observational Study
. 2024 Apr;54(4):e14141.
doi: 10.1111/eci.14141. Epub 2023 Dec 9.

Vitamin K insufficiency and the prophylaxis strategy in term healthy infants: A multicentre study

Serafina Perrone  1 , Giuseppe De Bernardo  2 , Chiara Lembo  3 , Valentina Dell'Orto  1 , Maurizio Giordano  4 , Virginia Beretta  1 , Chiara Petrolini  1 , Lucia Gambini  1 , Anna Laura Toni  5 , Gianni Parigi  5 , Ilenia Fontanarosa  5 , Maria Pia Natale  6 , Gabriele D'Amato  6 , Desiree Sordino  7 , Giuseppe Buonocore  5
Affiliations
Observational Study

Vitamin K insufficiency and the prophylaxis strategy in term healthy infants: A multicentre study

Serafina Perrone et al. Eur J Clin Invest. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

Background/aim: Late vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) during early infancy is a serious problem worldwide. Vitamin K (VK) deficiency commonly occurs in newborns who are exclusively breastfed. Protein Induced by VK Absence (PIVKA-II) has been identified as an early indicator of subclinical VK deficiency in neonates, surpassing prothrombin time. To assess PIVKA-II levels at 48 h, 1 and 3 months of age in full-term newborns who were exclusively breastfed and received varying VKDB prophylaxis regimens.

Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in four hospitals, enrolling 105 newborns. PIVKA-II levels were measured using a sandwich-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: At 48 h of age, there was no significant difference in PIVKA-II concentrations between newborns who received intramuscular administration of 1 mg of phylloquinone (VK1) and those who received oral administration of 2 mg of VK1 at birth. At 1 and 3 months of life, infants who received any supplementation regimen between 2 and 14 weeks exhibited significantly lower PIVKA-II concentrations compared to infants who received only 1 mg of intramuscular VK1 at birth. The prophylaxis involving a dose of 1 mg of intramuscular VK1 at birth followed by oral administration of 150 μg/day of VK1 from the 2nd to the 14th week of life showed the lowest PIVKA-II blood concentrations.

Conclusions: Oral supplementation of VK1 after discharge significantly reduced PIVKA-II concentrations in exclusively breastfed term infants. These findings suggest the importance of oral VK1 supplementation in exclusively breastfed infants during their first 3 months of life to avoid the risk of VK insufficiency.

Keywords: neonatal haemorrhagic disease; newborn; prophylaxis; protein induced by vitamin K absence; vitamin K.

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References

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