肝细胞中脂肪堆积的原因有很多. Common causes of fat accumulation include excessive alcohol use; however, 最近发现的一种情况是,不喝酒的人肝脏中脂肪会堆积. 这种情况更常见,但不限于糖尿病和肥胖症患者. 这种情况很少会引起进行性炎症和肝细胞破坏,导致肝脏瘢痕, 一种叫做非酒精性脂肪性肝炎(NASH)的疾病. NASH目前已成为肝硬化的主要病因.
各种各样的紊乱和疾病都可能导致肝功能衰竭, such as adult polycystic disease (multiple cysts or sacs within the liver); Alagille's syndrome (too few bile ducts in the liver); amyloidosis (abnormal deposits of the amyloid protein in liver tissue) and sarcoidosis (small lumps of cells in the liver).