NVIC receives many questions about vitamin K shots. It is important to understand that vitamin K shots are not vaccines, and NVIC does not provide risk-benefit information on this procedure outside of what appears on this webpage.
According to the CDC, vitamin K is typically provided by the foods we eat and helps our body to form clots and stop bleeding. CDC additionally states that infants are born with low levels of this vitamin and that if there is a deficiency, bleeding into the intestines or brain is possible, leading to brain damage and possibly death. The bleeding condition is known as VKDB (Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding) and is a rare but dangerous condition. Symptoms of VKDB may not be obvious and can occur in infants from about a week old to 6 months of age.
Because of the age range, VKDB is categorized as early, classical, and late onset. Below are the rates for each type published by the CDC as of July 2023.
- Early and classical VKDB are more common, occurring in 1 in 60 to 1 in 250 newborns, although the risk is much higher for early VKDB among those infants whose mothers used certain medications during the pregnancy.
- Late VKDB is rarer, occurring in 1 in 14,000 to 1 in 25,000 infants.
- Infants who do not receive a vitamin K shot at birth are 81 times more likely to develop late VKDB than infants who receive a vitamin K shot at birth.
In 1961, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that vitamin K shots be given to infants to protect against VKDB. However, there have been concerns among parents about the large dosage of these shots and other ingredients, such as preservatives contained in the shots.
A Danish study on oral vitamin K drops (instead of an injectable shot) found that weekly administration of a drop of vitamin K until the infant reaches three months of age effectively prevented VKBD.
Below are a few resources to consider as you educate yourself on vitamin K. NVIC encourages readers to research and become informed on this topic. Below is a partial list; readers should undertake additional research to become better informed.
- S. Centers for Disease Control Vitamin K Webpages
- Mama Natural – Alternatives to Routine Newborn Procedures
- NIH National Library of Medicine – Weekly oral vitamin K prophylaxis in Denmark
- Cochrane Library – Prophylactic vitamin K for vitamin K deficiency bleeding in neonates.
