Vitamin K Dependent Clotting Factors

This appears to be a consequence of poor transfer of the vitamin across the placenta and thus low fetal plasma vitamin k.

Vitamin k dependent clotting factors. 1 4 known vitamin k dependent proteins involved in coagulation include. A vitamin k deficiency will predispose you to bleeding and blocking vitamin k prevents inappropriate clotting. In order to continue the chain reaction of the coagulation cascade these four factors need to be activated in a chemical reaction that involves vitamin k. An equally important role for vitamin k is to activate anticoagulant proteins to control clotting since uncontrolled clotting can be just as dangerous as uncontrolled bleeding.

Deficiency of all vitamin k dependent clotting factors leads to a bleeding tendency that is usually reversed by oral administration of vitamin k. A newer class of drugs the direct thrombin inhibitors is under development. Familial multiple coagulation factor deficiency is rare. Some members are already in clinical use such as lepirudin.

Clinical symptoms of the disease include episodes of intracranial hemorrhage in the first weeks of life. Without the activation step certain biochemical reactions cannot be completed. Warfarin affects the vitamin k dependent clotting factors ii vii ix x and protein c and protein s whereas heparin and related compounds increase the action of antithrombin on thrombin and factor xa. Deficiency of all vitamin k dependent clotting factors leads to a bleeding tendency that is usually reversed by oral administration of vitamin k.

Defects in carboxylation are mainly associated with bleeding disorders. 127 129 these rare autosomal recessive disorders have an estimated incidence of 1. Acquired forms of the disorder can be caused by intestinal malabsorption of vitamin k. It is commonly used for prevention and treatment of vte prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation anticoagulation for mechanical prosthetic heart valves and myocardial infarction prevention in coronary artery disease.

The blood clotting factors of newborn babies are roughly 30 60 that of adult values. Warfarin 4 hydroxycoumarin inhibits the synthesis of vitamin k dependent coagulation factors including factors ii vii ix and x as well as proteins c and s. Vitamin k dependent carboxylation is a posttranslational modification essential for the biological function of coagulation factors. Inherited combined deficiency of the vitamin k dependent clotting factors vkcfd is a very rare inherited bleeding disorder that is caused by a problem with clotting factors ii vii ix and x.

Acquired forms of the disorder can be caused by intestinal malabsorption of vitamin k. The vitamin k dependent coagulation factors are factors ii vii ix x proteins c and s. Occurrence of vitamin k deficiency bleeding in the first week of the infant s life is estimated at 0 25 1 7 with a prevalence of 2 10 cases per 100 000 births.