Abstract: Abstract: Objective To investigate the level of interleukin-18 (IL-18) in ascites of patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and its influencing factors. Methods From January 2014 to January 2016, 231 cases of hepatitis B cirrhosis with ascites were prospectively collected from Yinzhou People's Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Zhejiang University. According to whether the patients developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis or not, the patients were assigned into the observational group (n = 41) or the control group (n = 190). The level of IL-18 of ascites was detected in both groups, and the clinical significance and influencing factors of IL-18 were analyzed. Results Compared with the control group, the IL-18 level of the patients in the observation group was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that IL-18 was the risk factor for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in the patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis [■ = 1.32 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.50), P = 0.000]. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) of the ascites and serum CD4+ T cell, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-18 were the factors influencing the IL-18 level in ascites (b = 0.362, 0.318, 0.253, 0.247, 0.262 and 0.427). Conclusions Increased level of IL-18 in ascites is the risk factor for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis. IL-6 and TNF-α in ascites and serum CD4+ T cell, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-18 are the factors influencing IL-18 level in ascites.