Abstract: Objective To explore the relationship of serum sodium levels to liver functional reserve in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. Methods 150 decompensated liver cirrhosis patients with hyponatremia were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into mild，moderate and severe hyponatremia groups according to their serum sodium levels. Results The more severe patients’serum hyponatremia，the higher their serum total bilirubin，urea nitrogen，creatinine，prothrombin time and Child-Pugh scores and the patients with severe hyponatremia had more major complications，and higher mortality. Conclusions The serum sodium levels in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis reflect liver functional reserve.

Key words: Liver cirrhosis, Hyponatremia, Liver functional reserve