Objective To assess the association of tag single nucleotide polymorphisms ( tag SNPs) of SH2B adap-tor protein 3 ( SH2 B3 ) gene with essential hypertension ( EH ) in Han population .Methods Six tag SNPs ( rs7309325 , rs11065898 , rs10849947 , rs2239196 , rs2238154 and rs739496 ) were genotyped in 510 patients with EH and 510 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method ( PCR-RFLP) .Results Compared to CC genotype , the T allele carriers of rs2239196 were more likely to be hy-pertensive ( OR=2.59 ,95%CI 1.36-4.96 ,Bonferroni correction P<0.05 ) .Conclusions The rs2239196 T al-lele is potential a risk factor of EH in Han population .