Vitamin K is necessary for normal operation kiddies coagulation, if necessary, he activates certain proteins, protecting the body from blood loss. Not all parents understand this, and not all doctors explain
When the midwife puts on the belly of the mother or father of the native long-awaited litter, so just want to envelop him with his love, to protect from any kind of pain and misery! Therefore, the doctor offering an injection of vitamin K is often perceived with hostility. After all, not all parents know, and not all doctors clearly explain why this is necessary.
What threatens shortage of vitamin K?
There are 3 forms of hemorrhagic disease of the newborn:
It is only the vitamin K deficiency cases, not all causes of bleeding in infants!
Why introduce infant vitamin K? / istockphoto.com
- Early. It appears in the first days after birth, and is most often associated with the maternal use of certain medications during pregnancy. For example, some blood thinners, anticonvulsants, anti-tuberculosis antibiotics dramatically reduce the level of vitamin K in the blood of the pregnant woman and the fetus. There is evidence that supplementation woman forced to take such serious drugs, vitamin K in the last month of pregnancy reduces the incidence of early form of hemorrhagic disease babies. And, of course, these kids must necessarily receive preventive injection of vitamin K in the first hour after birth.
- Classical. Develops 2-7 days of life, and is manifested bleeding from vessels in the skin, mucous membranes of the nose, stomach, intestine, umbilical wound, on-site operations (eg, circumcision). Usually bleeding decreases in 20-30 minutes after the administration of vitamin K, and then completely stopped. The severity of the disease is highly dependent on the timeliness and adequacy of treatment. And if in the developed countries, only a few die or get serious complications from the classical form of the disease, and there, where health care is not easily accessible and the mortality rate is up to 25%! In the absence of preventive injections of vitamin K immediately after birth rate of this form of disease is 0,25-1,7% of all newborns, and this lot.
- It is late. This is the rarest but most dangerous form. More likely to develop for 2-8 weeks from birth, but it is possible its manifestation up to 4-6 months. Late bleeding associated with a lack of vitamin K to occur in 4,5-7,2 cases per 100 thousand births (in Asia - 1 to 6000), if you have not taken preventive measures. Almost half of these children will die or will not be able to become full members of society, as the bleeding develops most often during late form of the disease in the brain, adrenal glands, the liver. And there is no way to predict who will be the next victim.
Why introduce infant vitamin K? / istockphoto.com
Who is at risk?
After spending a lot of research, scientists have come to the following conclusions:
- the emergence of an early form of hemorrhagic disease of the newborn contributes to poor nutrition in the first days of life. Therefore, the need to provide early child attachment and often offer the breast, especially at 2-3 days from birth, because colostrum vitamin K than in mature milk, and the blood of the newborn, its concentration at this time is rapidly falls.
- late form of bleeding usually occurs in children exclusively breastfed, who did not receive an injection of vitamin K in the hospital. The concentration of this vitamin decreases gradually in all children, but when it will be critical, and what is the deadly level of a particular baby, Can not predict none.
- Risk factors for late-forms may also be congenital and acquired disease of the liver and biliary tract, disorders absorption of necessary substances in the intestine, malnutrition, prolonged use of antibiotics, cystic fibrosis and other serious state.
Why introduce infant vitamin K? / istockphoto.com
To make an injection of vitamin K in the first hours after birth, you are almost 100% can be sure that your baby is not threatened by its lack of bleeding!
So all the same benefit or harm?
According to the results of many years of observations of late, the most dangerous form of hemorrhagic disease often suffer healthy full-term babies born to normal pregnancy by natural means, exclusively breastfed feeding. That is, it becomes a shock to the family, and we do not know why this is happening. But science knows how to prevent the catastrophe. Preventive an injection of vitamin K provides almost no misfires.
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