Objective： To investigate the effect of atorvastatin on exercise tolerance in patients with diastolic dysfunction and exerciseinduced hypertension. Methods： A randomized， doubleblind， placebocontrolled prospective study was performed. Sixty patients with diastolic dysfunction （mitral flow velocity E/A <1） and exerciseinduced hypertension （SBP>200 mm Hg） treated with atorvastatin （20 mg q.d） or placebo for 1 year. Cardiopulmonary exercise test and exercise blood pressure measurement were performed. Plasma Bnatriuretic peptide （BNP） concentration at rest and at peak exercise， plasma high sensitiveC reaction protein （hsCRP） and endothelin （ET） concentration were determined at baseline and after treatment. Results： After treatment by atorvastatin， the resting SBP， pulse pressure， the peak exercise SBP and BNP were significantly decreased; and the exercise time， metabolic equivalent， maximal oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold were increased. All of these parameters had significant differences with baseline levels （P<005）， and the rest pulse pressure， the peak exercise SBP and BNP， and the exercise time had significant differences compared with placebo treatment （P<005）. Plasma concentrations of hsCRP and ET were markedly reduced by atorvastatin treatment compared with baseline and placebo （P<005）. No difference in above parameters was found before and after placebo treatment （P>005）. Conclusion： In patients with diastolic dysfunction at rest and exerciseinduced hypertension， atorvastatin can effectively reduce plasma hsCRP and ET level， lower blood pressure and peak exercise SBP， decrease peak exercise plasma BNP concentration， and ultimately improve exercise tolerance．