Vitamin K absorption capacity and its association with vitamin K deficiency
T. Shinzawa, T. Mura, M. Tsunei and K. Shiraki
Department of Pediatrics, Tottori University School of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
We measured plasma vitamin K concentrations in 194 5-day-old infants three
hours after administration of a 4-mg dose of vitamin K (menaquinone-4,
Kaytwo syrup, Eisai Co Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). We investigated association with
other factors contributing to vitamin K deficiency. These plasma vitamin K
concentrations varied greatly among the neonates from values below the
limit of detection (2 ng/mL) to more than 1000 ng/mL. The vitamin K
concentration was associated with nutritive vitamin K deficiency
represented by plasma protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II
(PIVKA-II) values. The wide variation in vitamin K absorption is considered
to be one of the major causative factors in infantile vitamin K deficiency.
