Newborns who do not receive the vitamin K injection recommended at birth face a significantly higher risk of serious bleeding in their first six months — including bleeding in the brain and death during the birth hospitalization — according to a study published in JAMA and reported by akhbaar24.com.
The study, which analyzed 5,240,780 infants born between 35 and 43 weeks of gestation in U.S. hospitals and health systems covering all 50 states from January 2017 to December 2025, found that the share of newborns not receiving the shot rose from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025.
Bleeding rates climb when the injection is skipped
Infants who did not receive the vitamin K shot experienced bleeding during the first six months of life at a rate of 288 cases per 10,000 babies, compared with 185.9 per 10,000 among those who received it — an adjusted risk increase of 1.47, akhbaar24.com reported.
Intracranial hemorrhage occurred at 33.0 cases per 10,000 among non-recipients versus 13.2 per 10,000 among recipients, an adjusted risk ratio of 2.43 with a 95% confidence interval of 2.26 to 2.62.
Deaths concurrent with bleeding during the birth hospitalization were recorded at 2.9 per 10,000 babies who did not get the shot, compared with 1.1 per 10,000 among those who did — an adjusted risk of 2.69, with a 95% confidence interval of 2.09 to 3.47.
A second study documents a steep national rise in deficiency bleeding
A companion analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics and reported by youm7.com examined more than 11 million U.S. infants from birth to 6 months of age between 2017 and 2025. It found that vitamin K injection coverage fell from 97.7% in 2017 to 95% in 2025, while diagnoses of vitamin K deficiency rose 215.7% and cases of bleeding caused by the deficiency rose 347.1% over the same period.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended the vitamin K injection for newborns since 1961, according to youm7.com.
Why the shot matters, and what the study can and cannot prove
Vitamin K is needed for blood to clot. Without it, infants can develop vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), a condition in which the blood loses its ability to clot, potentially causing bleeding without obvious injury or warning signs — including in the brain, which can lead to seizures, permanent brain damage, or death, youm7.com reported.
Physicians classify VKDB into three types: early bleeding within the first 24 hours, often linked to medications the mother took that affect vitamin K; classic bleeding in the first days of life, appearing as bruising, umbilical bleeding, or gastrointestinal bleeding; and late bleeding from one week to six months of age, which is the most dangerous because of the risk of intracranial hemorrhage, particularly in infants who did not receive the preventive dose.
The JAMA researchers drew on data from the Epic Cosmos platform and identified outcomes using ICD-10 diagnostic codes, adjusting statistically for confounding factors. Because the study was observational rather than a randomized trial, its authors cautioned that the findings show an association between skipping the injection and higher bleeding risk, not definitive proof of direct causation, akhbaar24.com reported.
What the numbers mean for parents
The practical takeaway from both studies is that post-birth vitamin K prophylaxis remains the main protection against VKDB, which youm7.com described as largely preventable with the medically recommended dose. The rise in skipped injections between 2017 and 2025 coincided with a measurable increase in deficiency-related bleeding and deaths, a trend the researchers said raises concerns about the health consequences of refusing the shot.
Earlier coverage: Newborn Vitamin K Rejections Double to 6.8% as Bleeding Risks Rise
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