Objective To study anticardiolipin antibody(ACLA)in elderly patients with essential hypertension(EH)and to investigate the influence of valsarta on the function of vascular endothelium.Methods The levels of ACLA were measured by an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay in 120 patients with EH and 30 healthy controls.All parameters were compared in the EH patients with different stratification.Sixty elderly hypertension patients were treated with valsarta for 6 weeks of with the dose range from 80 to 160 mg/d and compared with 60 healthy elderly people before and after treatment by measuring the levels of ACLA.Results The concentration of ACLA were significantly higher in patients with risk,higher risk and very high risk group than those in healthy control group and patients with low risk group(P0.05).After 6 weeks of treatment with valsarta,systolic and diastolic pressures remarkably decreased and the levels of ACLA were decreased significantly;the higher the degree,the more notable the change of ACLA.Conclusion The patients with EH might have self-immunity.The results suggest that circulating ACLA might have clinical significance in forecasting the severity of EH.Valsarta is effective in treating hypertension,which may improve the function of vascular endothelium.