After hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the virus replicates in the human body and causes cell damage, which activates the release of inflammatory factors in immune cells and further aggravates liver damage. Inflammatory liver damage involves a variety of immune cells, and the inflammatory factors secreted by them play a vital role in cellular and humoral immune responses, antiviral activity, virus clearance, apoptosis and fibrosis formation. HBV infection leads to interaction between a wide array of immune cells and inflammatory factors, forming a complex immune response network and thus promoting the occurrence and development of hepatitis. Inflammatory factors are the main cause of inflammation and liver damage after HBV infection. This article reviews the research progress in the mechanism of inflammatory factors involved in HBV development and liver damage after HBV infection in a view to providing reference for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B.