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Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn - Symptom

Alternative Names

Vitamin k deficiency bleeding; VKDB

Symptoms:

The condition causes bleeding. The most common areas of bleeding include:

A boy's penis if he has been circumcised
Belly button area
Gastrointestinal tract (may result in blood in the baby's bowel movements)
Mucus membranes (such as the lining of the nose and mouth)
Places where there has been a needle stick

There may also be:

Blood in the urine
Bruising
Raised lump on the baby's head (suggesting bleeding underneath one of the skull bones)

Signs and tests:

Blood clotting tests will be done.

The diagnosis is confirmed if a vitamin K shot stops the bleeding and blood clotting time (prothrombin time) is within normal limits.

Reviewed last on: 4/30/2008
Mark A Fogel, MD, FACC, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology, Director of Cardiac MR, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Division of Cardiology, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Blood Disorders. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 103.

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