[Emphasis on clinical study of heterogeneity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease]

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has a wide spectrum of diseases including simple fatty liver, steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis, and cirrhosis. The clinical manifestations and disease outcomes of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease vary widely, and are related to the heterogeneity of risk factors, such as heredity, epigenetics, race, gender, age, diet, exercise, alcohol drinking, intestinal microecology, coexisting diseases, and hormone and metabolic status. Emphasizing the study of pathogenesis and clinical heterogeneity of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease will help to layer the management of disease and improve the effectiveness of clinical trials.