Which human vitamin deficiency results in the coagulation disorder characterized by prolonged bleeding times and delayed blood clot formation?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Vitamin K is a fat-essential vitamin required by the liver for the post-translational modification and synthesis of several critical blood clotting factors including prothrombin, factor VII, IX, and X. Deficiency in vitamin K impairs coagulation pathways leading to bleeding tendencies. Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, vitamin A deficiency leads to night blindness, and vitamin D deficiency causes rickets. Dietary sources of vitamin K include green leafy vegetables and bacterial synthesis in the gut.