Objective To investigate the association between the polymorphism at position 627 in IL-10 promoter and the prevalence of HBV related cirrhosis. Methods PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-PFLP) was performed to detect polymorphisms of IL-10 promoter-627 in 220 patients with HBV related cirrhosis and 200 healthy controls. The contribution of polymorphism at position 627 to HBV related cirrhosis was calculated. Results The frequency of AA and CA genotypes and A allele at position 627 of IL-10 promoter region were significantly higher in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis than that of healthy controls (X2 = 7.46,5.72,13.78, P < 0.01 or P < 0.05 ). Conclusion There are significant association between the polymorphism at position 627 in the IL-10 promoter region and the prevalence of HBV related cirrhosis.