[Effects of a vitamin K2 preparation in severely handicapped patients complicated by osteopenia]

The efficacy and side effects of oral vitamin K2 therapy were examined in 20 children and adults with probable secondary osteoporosis who had been hospitalized for a long period, due to severe mental and/or physical handicaps. Vitamin K2 was given for 12 months. Bone mineral density significantly increased 4 months after starting oral vitamin K2 therapy (p = 0.0038) and it retained the elevated level after 12 months of treatment. This therapy was particularly effective in patients with severe locomotor dysfunction. Serum total protein levels significantly decreased following the start of this therapy (p = 0.0012). The reasons of this decrease and its causal relationship to the administration of vitamin K2 are unknown, and should be investigated further.