vitamin K dilemma

vitamin K dilemma

The conflicting requirements to protect small babies from dangerous internal, often intracranial, bleeding resulting from vitamin K deficiency (which is readily avoided by an injection of the vitamin) and the increased risk of cancer in children who have received an intramuscular injection of the vitamin early in life. It was hoped that an oral preparation of the vitamin would eliminate this risk, but cases have occurred in which the oral vitamin has failed to prevent intracranial bleeding.