Hepatic steatosis is a common chronic liver disease that can progress into more severe stages of NAFLD or promote the development of life-threatening secondary diseases for a part of the affected people. These include the liver itself (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH; fibrosis and cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma) or other organs such as the vessels and the heart (cardiovascular disease) or the islets of Langerhans (type 2 diabetes). In addition to elevated caloric intake and a sedentary lifestyle, genetic and epigenetic predisposition contribute to the development of NAFLD and the secondary diseases. In our review we will present polymorphisms identified in genes relevant for the disease as well as changes caused by altered DNA methylation and gene regulation via specific miRNAs. We will also report on the current status of the use of genetic and epigenetic factors as risk markers.

肝性脂肪变性是一种常见的慢性肝病，可发展为更严重的 NAFLD 阶段或促进部分受影响人群发生危及生命的继发性疾病。这些包括肝脏本身（非酒精性脂肪性肝炎或 NASH；纤维化和肝硬化，以及肝细胞癌）或其他器官，例如血管和心脏（心血管疾病）或朗格汉斯胰岛（2 型糖尿病）。除了热量摄入增加和久坐不动的生活方式外，遗传和表观遗传易感性也有助于 NAFLD 和继发性疾病的发展。在我们的综述中，我们将介绍在与疾病相关的基因中鉴定的多态性，以及由改变的 DNA 甲基化和通过特定 miRNA 的基因调控引起的变化。