IL1B and hematocrit: There exists a growing body of evidence describing the role of cytokinesin the context of hypertension (HT) [1–5].Interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) is a crucial mediator of inflammatory response.Animal experiments that examined the vascular wall of hypertensive rats showedan increase in mRNA expression levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-alpha [6].Previous human work has shown increased levels of IL-1β in the systemiccirculation of patients with essential HT.