Aim To investigate the prevalence rate of hypertension and its primary risk factors in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM). Methods 362 patients with DCM(DCM group)and 401 age-matched residents(control group) were enrolled randomly in the study,the hypertensive prevalence rate were calculated respectively in the two groups and was compared with each other.The patients in the DCM group were divided into two subgroups(hypertension subgroup and no-hypertension sub-group) according to whether the patients had hypertension;the clinical data relating to blood pressure were compared between the two subgroups. Results The pervalence rate of hypertension in DCM group was significantly higher than that in the control group(32.9% vs 21.7%,p<0.01).There were no significant differences on the age,gender,occupation and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) between the two subgroups,but the mean heart rate and the percentage of patients who had hypertensive family history were significantly higher in the hypertension subgroup than that in the no-hypertension subgroup(p<0.05 or p<0.01). Conclusion The prevalence rate of hypertension in patients with DCM was high.The increased activity of sympathetic nervous system and the hypertensive genetic factor may be the primary risk factors of hypertension in patients with DCM.