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The essential hypertension has been associated with membrane cell damage. The aim of the present study is investigate the relationship between erythrocyte Na+,K+-ATPase and lipoperoxidation in prehypertensive patients compared to normotensive status. The present study involved the prehypertensive patients (systolic: 136±7 mmHg; diastolic: 86.8±6.3 mmHg; n=8) and healthy men with normal blood pressure (systolic: 110±6.4 mmHg; diastolic: 76.1±4.2 mmHg; n=8) who were matched for age (35±4 years old). The venous blood samples of antecubital vein (5 mL) were collected into a tube containing sodium heparin as anticoagulant (1000 UI), and erythrocyte ghosts were prepared for quantifying Na+,K+-ATPase activity. The extent of the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was determined in plasma. The statistical analysis was carried out by Student’s t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. A P<0.05 was considered significant. The Na+,K+-ATPase activity was lower in prehypertensive patients compared with normotensive subjects (4.9 versus 8.0 nmol Pi/mg protein/min; P<0.05). The Na+,K+-ATPase activity correlated negatively with TBARS content (r=-0.6; P<0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (r=-0.84; P<0.05). The present study suggests that Na+,K+-ATPase activity reduction and elevation of the TBARS content may underlie the pathophysiological aspects linked to the prehypertensive status.