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We measured blood pressure and heart rate at rest and during exercise on a bicycle ergometer in 19 patients with borderline hypertension, in 58 with sustained essential hypertension and in a group of 30 healthy subjects of the same age. On each subject, we determined the systolic blood pressure/heart rate curve during exercise and calculated the slope and intercept. In patients with borderline hypertension, blood pressure was elevated in basal conditions but was within the normal range at the end of exercise. This caused an increased intercept (P less than 0.001) and a reduced slope (P less than 0.05) of the curve. In patients with sustained hypertension, blood pressure was elevated throughout the exercise test. This caused an increased slope (P less than 0.001) of the blood pressure/heart rate curve. The slope of the curve correlated negatively with basal heart rate in borderline hypertensive patients (P less than 0.01) and correlated positively with basal total peripheral resistance in sustained hypertensive patients (P less than 0.01). Exercise testing can help one diagnose borderline and sustained hypertension and predict the evolution of borderline hypertension toward fixed hypertension.