Vitamin K Dependent Clotting Factors

A vitamin k deficiency will predispose you to bleeding and blocking vitamin k prevents inappropriate clotting.

Vitamin k dependent clotting factors. Clinical symptoms of the disease include episodes of intracranial hemorrhage in the first weeks of life. 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. Vitamin k is an essential cofactor in the activation of certain proteins within your body 1. Familial multiple coagulation factor deficiency is rare.

This appears to be a consequence of poor transfer of the vitamin across the placenta and thus low fetal plasma vitamin k. 1 4 known vitamin k dependent proteins involved in coagulation include. Acquired forms of the disorder can be caused by intestinal malabsorption of 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.

Some members are already in clinical use such as lepirudin. The vitamin k dependent coagulation factors are factors ii vii ix x proteins c and s. Combined deficiency of the vitamin k dependent factors may result from missense mutations in the genes for vitamin k reductase vkorc 1 or gamma glutamyl carboxylase. Defects in carboxylation are mainly associated with bleeding disorders.

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. Acquired forms of the disorder can be caused by intestinal malabsorption of vitamin k. A newer class of drugs the direct thrombin inhibitors is under development. Deficiency of all vitamin k dependent clotting factors leads to a bleeding tendency that is usually reversed by oral administration of vitamin k.

Vitamin k dependent carboxylation is a posttranslational modification essential for the biological function of coagulation factors. Deficiency of all vitamin k dependent clotting factors leads to a bleeding tendency that is usually reversed by oral administration of vitamin k. 127 129 these rare autosomal recessive disorders have an estimated incidence of 1. 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.

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. The blood clotting factors of newborn babies are roughly 30 60 that of adult values.