Genetic studies to identify hepatic fibrosis genes and SNPs in human populations.

Increasing evidence suggests that non-sex-linked genetic factors play a role in determining both susceptibility to, and progression of, liver fibrosis. The elucidation of these factors will have many potential benefits in the management of patients with chronic liver disease. A variety of approaches can be used to look for genetic factors playing a role in liver fibrosis. In the future, genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) scanning of cases and controls may become feasible; however, to date, studies have relied on candidate-gene, case-control, allele-association methodology. This section will focus on the design and interpretation of case-control association studies in liver disease using non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to illustrate the key issues and potential pitfalls of this approach.