Final answer:
Vitamin K deficiency impairs blood clotting because it is necessary for the production of clotting factors by the liver. Adequate platelet count, normal liver function, and elevated fibrin levels support clot formation, while hemophilia causes blood clotting issues due to insufficient clotting factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among the options provided, Vitamin K deficiency would reduce the blood's natural ability to clot, thus worsening internal or external bleeding. Vitamin K is essential for the synthesis of several clotting factors produced by the liver. Without enough Vitamin K, the body cannot produce adequate amounts of these clotting factors, leading to delayed clotting and increased bleeding.
In contrast, adequate platelet count, normal liver function, and elevated fibrin levels would all support the clotting process. Platelets are crucial for blood clot formation, and the liver produces key coagulation factors, requiring Vitamin K. Elevated fibrin levels indicate an increased availability of the protein necessary for the final structure of a blood clot.
Hemophilia is a genetic disorder involving inadequate production of functional clotting factors, such as factor VIII or IX, which also results in impaired blood clotting and excessive bleeding from even minor wounds.