Prevalence of the TM6SF2 variant and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Chinese

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the most common chronic liver disease worldwide and may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [1–3]. A recent exome-wide association study identified the TM6SF2 variant (encoding p.Glu167Lys) as a novel locus associated with higher liver fat level [4]. The variant is associated with decreased hepatic secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein and higher risk of myocardial infarction [4,5].