What factor associated with gluten-sensitive enteropathy causes an infant to bruise and bleed easily?

In gluten-sensitive enteropathy, also known as celiac disease, the intestine's ability to absorb nutrients is compromised, particularly the absorption of fats. This malabsorption leads to deficiencies of fat-soluble vitamins, with vitamin K being particularly important for the synthesis of clotting factors such as factors II, VII, IX, and X in the liver. A deficiency in vitamin K can result in impaired coagulation, leading to a tendency to bruise and bleed easily. This bleeding tendency is especially evident in infants, where vitamin K deficiency can manifest as easy bruising, gastrointestinal bleeding, and other bleeding complications.

Understanding the role of vitamin K in blood clotting underscores why deficiency due to fat malabsorption directly correlates with increased bleeding and bruising in infants with gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Other answers may involve anemia or bone marrow issues, but they don't directly account for the mechanism by which gluten sensitivity leads to easy bruising and bleeding.