Objective Endothelial dysfunction is related to reduced arterial elasticity in patients with essential hypertension.Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs),an important endogenous repair approach for endothelial injury,is altered in hypertensive patients.However,the association between alteration in circulating EPCs and hypertension-related reduced arterial elasticity has not been reported.This study is to investigate the association between alteration in circulating EPCs and hypertension-related reduced arterial elasticity.