US infant vitamin K bleeding diagnoses nearly doubled in 2025 as shot refusal rose
The gist
US infant diagnoses of vitamin K deficiency bleeding rose from 903 in 2024 to 1,764 in 2025.
Fewer newborns are getting the shot, and the bleeding can cause brain damage.
How it unfolded
- 1961The American Academy of Pediatrics begins recommending vitamin K shots for newborns.
- 2017Vitamin K deficiency bleeding is recorded at 24.0 per 100,000 infants, with 189 diagnoses; 97.7% of newborns receive the shot and 3.1% refuse it.
- 2024US infants are diagnosed with vitamin K deficiency bleeding 903 times.
Key terms
- vitamin K deficiency bleeding
- A rare bleeding disorder in newborns caused by low vitamin K stores at birth, risking brain hemorrhage or death.
- intramuscular
- Injection of a substance directly into a muscle.
- observational reviews
- A research design that measures outcomes to find patterns or associations without manipulating variables.
Source: Wikipedia