Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with the metabolic syndrome, and progress from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, hepatic failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is a multifactorial disease and up to 50% of its relative risk has been attributed to genetic susceptibility. Youssefian et al. found a mutation p.Gly14Ter c.40G>T in exon 1. Heterozygous nonsense mutation in 9 affected patients with Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a large non-consanguineous family of Italian ancestry. Adant et al. found a mutation p.Thr65Ala c.193A>G homozygous missense mutation found in two sisters. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pediatric female patient. The patients had NAFLD without the full Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome (CDS) phenotype
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multifactorial condition and the most common liver disease worldwide, affecting more than one-third of the population. So far there have been no reports on mendelian inheritance in families with NAFLD. METHODS: We performed whole-exome or targeted next-generation sequencing on patients with autosomal dominant NAFLD. RESULTS: We report a heritable form of NAFLD and/or dyslipidemia due to monoallelic ABHD5 mutations, with complete clinical expression after the fourth decade of life, in 7 unrelated multiplex families encompassing 39 affected individuals. The prevalence of ABHD5-associated NAFLD was estimated to be 1 in 1,137 individuals in a normal population. CONCLUSION: We associate a Mendelian form of NAFLD and/or dyslipidemia with monoallelic ABHD5 mutations. LAY SUMMARY: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common multifactorial disorder with a strong genetic component. Inherited forms of NAFLD have been suspected but, their molecular pathogenesis has not been disclosed. Here we report a heritable form of NAFLD with clinical expression after 40 years of age, associated with monoallelic ABHD5 mutations.