Objective To investigate the differences of HBV load and liver function indexes between HBeAgpositive and HBeAg-negative hepatitis B cirrhosis patients and to analyze its clinical significance. Methods In this retrospective study, 270 cases of liver cirrhosis were collected from February 2015 to February 2016 in the Affiliated Hospital of North China University of Science and Technology. The differences of HBsAg, HBV DNA, liver function indexes (ALT, AST, TBIL and ALB) and the composition ratio of different HBV DNA loads between the HBeAg-positive (124 cases) and HBeAg-negative (146 cases) patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis were analyzed. Results The content of HBsAg, HBV DNA, ALT and AST in the HBeAg-positive group apparently exceeded that in the HBeAg-negative group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in TBIL or ALB between the two groups (P > 0.05). The proportions of the patients with HBV DNA below 103 IU/ml and between 103 and 105 IU/ml in the HBeAg-positive group were lower than those in the HBeAg-negative group. The proportion of the patients with HBV DNA over 105 IU/ml in the HBeAg-positive group was higher than that in the HBeAg-negative group, there was a significant difference in the ratio of HBV DNA between the two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions With seroconversion of HBeAg in the patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, the level of hepatitis B virus replication decreases and the liver inflammatory response is reduced, but it does not mean that the disease is under control. It is possible that the liver damage will aggravate gradually, and active antiviral therapy is still necessary.