One thousand and five women working in 26 wards of Paris hospitals were included in the study during their mandatory annual examination. The prevalence of arterial hypertension, calculated on this casual measurement (two readings) was 15.1 per cent; 6 per cent of the women were under medication for high blood pressure. In one fifth of the treated hypertensive women the blood pressure levels were not controlled by treatment. Two-thirds of the hypertensive women were untreated. Concerning the working conditions, psychic stress was associated with high blood pressure in women aged 30 to 39. The percentage of smokers was high (45 per cent below 30 years of age, 27 per cent between 30 and 40). The weight of 15 per cent of the women was at least 20 per cent over the "ideal" weight. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is high among these female hospital workers. Prevention therefore must be developed in order to improve their health and to give the patients an opportunity to benefit from advice in this field during their stay in hospital.