Because E-selectin is related to inflammation and atherosclerosis, and essential hypertension is characterized by chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis, we attempted to explore the association between E-selectin single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and hypertension. Three candidate SNPs of E-selectin involved in the pathogenesis of inflammation and atherosclerosis--T1880C, C602A, T1559C--were selected a priori on the basis of a genetic analysis, a literature review [9, 10], predictive analyses with an emphasis on functionally important variants, and expert opinion. These variants may provide clues to the pathogenesis of essential hypertension.