Hepatitis is a term used to describe inflammation of the liver. Any agent that injures your liver's cells can cause hepatitis, including bacteria and viruses, toxins, medications or even excess dietary fat. Most causes of hepatitis are reversible, although some forms of viral hepatitis are chronic and difficult to cure. Your liver is the center for a wide array of metabolic activities, and hepatitis can interfere with many of these functions.
Detoxification
According to "The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy," your liver is the most metabolically active organ in your body. One of its primary functions is to neutralize toxins. Many foreign agents enter your body through your diet, and your cells produce toxic substances, such as ammonia, during normal metabolism. All of these toxins must be broken down and eliminated from your body. Hepatitis can impair your liver's ability to deal with these potentially damaging substances, which allows them to accumulate in your bloodstream and tissues.
Synthesis
A variety of important substances are manufactured by your liver, including lipids and the proteins that transport them through your bloodstream, bile, albumin and other plasma proteins, a plethora of enzymes, several vitamins and clotting factors, which are a collection of proteins that help to coagulate your blood after an injury. Hepatitis can interfere with the synthesis of any or all of these substances.
Clotting Factors and Vitamin K
The coagulation of blood is a complex process that involves a delicately balanced cascade of enzymatic reactions that sequentially activate and deactivate clotting factors. A deficiency or functional aberration in even a single clotting factor can lead to inefficient clotting. A 2008 "Vitamins and Hormones" review outlines the vital role of vitamin K in the production of normal clotting factors. This nutrient is needed for an important amino acid conversion that helps to complete the synthesis of several clotting factors. Without vitamin K, these factors will not function properly.
Vitamin K and Hepatitis
If hepatitis causes sufficient injury to your liver, its ability to detoxify harmful substances and to synthesize important molecules, such as clotting factors, is diminished. Without a sufficient number of functional clotting factors in your bloodstream, even minor injuries can lead to excessive bleeding. Supplemental vitamin K accelerates the production of functional clotting factors and helps to decrease the likelihood of serious hemorrhage. Doctors can measure the effectiveness of vitamin K therapy by determining how long it takes your blood to clot.
References
- "The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 18th Edition: Approach to the Patient with Liver Disease"; Mark H. Beers, M.D., Editor-In-Chief; 2006
- "Vitamins and Hormones"; Structure and Function of Vitamin K Epoxide Reductase
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