Sj. Hodges et al., CIRCULATING LEVELS OF VITAMIN-K1 AND VITAMIN-K(2) DECREASED IN ELDERLY WOMEN WITH HIP FRACTURE, Journal of bone and mineral research, 8(10), 1993, pp. 1241-1245
We measured the serum levels of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and of the
menaquinones, MK-7 and MK-8, in a group of 51 women with a mean age of
81 years who were studied within a few hours after a hip fracture. A
group of 38 healthy age-matched women randomly chosen from the same po
pulation served as controls. Patients with hip fracture had a marked r
eduction in serum vitamin K1 (336 +/- 302 versus 585 +/- 490 pg/ml, p
< 0.01), MK-7 (120 +/- 84 versus 226 +/- 178 pg/ml, p < 0.001), and MK
-8 (89 +/- 113 versus 161 +/- 145 pg/ml, p < 0.01), and a large number
had undetectable levels, especially of MK-8. Vitamin K levels were no
t correlated with the time elapsed after fracture or with serum cortis
ol or other biochemical variables. These data suggest that patients wi
th hip fracture have vitamin K deficiency, an abnormality that could a
ffect bone metabolism through an impairment of the gamma carboxylation
of the gla-containing proteins of bone.