Question

Discuss the role of vitamin K dependent factors in haemostasis, citing the importance of running liver function test in cases of haemostatic abnormality?

Answer 1

In coagulation, vitamin K helps control the blood clotting mechanism by helping to convert some coagulation factors into their mature forms, without vitamin K our bodies would be unable to regulate the formation of clots.

Vitamin K, an essential cofactor for a carboxylase that catalyzes the carboxylation of residues of glutamic acid on vitamin K-dependent proteins.

Key proteins that are dependent on vitamin K include; Coagulation proteins such as, factors II (prothrombin), VII, IX, and X; Anticoagulation proteins such as, proteins C, S and Z; and Others, bone proteins osteocalcin and matrix-Gla protein & certain ribosomal proteins.

The vitamin K plays a crucial role in the liver-coagulation relationship because the liver needs a variety of coagulation factors and inhibitors for the production of functionally active forms.

In the hemostatic system, the liver plays an important role since it synthesizes most coagulation factors and fibrinolytic proteins.

Coagulation screening tests are important in patients with liver disease for assessing seriousness, assessing bleeding tendency, and monitoring the response to therapy.

Prolonged prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) are very common in the early stages of liver disease due to the low levels of coagulation factors.