[Vitamin K deficiency bleeding as a leading symptom in celiac disease (author's transl)].

Haemorrhagic diathesis was a leading symptom in diagnosing celiac disease in 4 patients. In all 4 patients, a duodenal biopsy showed total villous atrophy. Although 3 of the children were typically dystrophic, the weight of the 4th child, an 8 month old boy, was within the normal range. In this patient, who suffered from neither diarrhea nor vomiting, heavy cutaneous and mucous membrane bleeding were the only symptoms of the disease. In all 4 cases the haemorrhagic diathesis could be explained by a low prothrombin complex, whereas the rest of the coagulation tests were normal. After the administration of Vitamin K1 there was an immediate rise in the prothrombin complex and bleeding was quickly stopped. Noteworthy is that due to infections, 3 of the 4 patients, received antibiotics just before the onset of the bleeding. In celiac disease, the conversion from a K-hypovitaminosis into a K-avitaminosis by the administration of antibiotics is discussed.