NEED TO KNOWA study of 11 million infants found vitamin K shots declined from 97.7% to 95% between 2017 and 2025Vitamin K deficiency bleeding rose 347% during the same period, researchers reported in JAMA PediatricsNewborns have low vitamin K levels, which can increase the risk of dangerous bleeding without the shotIncidents of infant bleeding are surging as more parents are refusing vitamin K shots amid an ongoing distrust of established medical practices.Researchers examined the medical records from 11 million infants between 2017 and 2025, during which the percentage of babies who got the vitamin K shot decreased from 97.7% to 95%. At the same time, VKD, or vitamin K deficiency, increased 216%, and VKDB, or vitamin K deficiency bleeding, surged 347%, according to the research, which was conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University and published in JAMA Pediatrics. “We knew from prior studies that vitamin K refusal had been increasing in the U.S., and we wanted to learn if there were any real-life consequences of this trend,” study lead Dr. Elizabeth Wolf, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, said in a press release from the university. “We found that the answer is undeniably yes, with the rates of VKD and VKDB multiplying over the course of our study.” Stock image of a newborn getting a vitamin K shotCredit: GettyVitamin K helps the blood clot, but newborns have very low levels of it, because very little crosses the placenta, breast milk contains minimal amounts, and an infant’s gut has not yet built up the bacteria needed to produce it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To mitigate the risk, babies have been given a shot of vitamin K at birth since 1961.“Similar to the recent measles outbreaks, we are seeing the real-world implications of growing mistrust of doctors and public health professionals. We need clear messaging from all levels of public health about the benefits of vitamin K administration for newborns,” Wolf said. Vitamin K deficiency leads to bruising and bleeding at the umbilicus, or belly button, up to 1 week after birth. After a week, vitamin K deficiency carries a 30% to 60% risk of intracranial hemorrhage, which VCU says carries a risk of seizures, permanent brain damage or death. Stock image of a pediatric nurse caring for a newbornCredit: GettyTake PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox.The research found that 7% of babies with vitamin K deficiency and 2% of babies with vitamin K deficiency bleeding developed intracranial or intracerebral hemorrhage, which is bleeding in the brain.“We should continue to follow these trends moving forward since the rates of vitamin K deficiency and vitamin-K-deficient bleeding may continue to rise if vitamin K refusal keeps increasing,” Wolf said. “We need to better understand why parents are refusing vitamin K and what can be done to improve the uptake of this important medication.”Read the original article on People
