Objective: to evaluate the relationship between abdominal circumference (AC) and blood pressure in men of a municipality from Parana state. Method: case-control study in which men were evaluated for use of antihypertensive, age, weight, height, and CA, through a questionnaire and measurements of anthropometric indices, respectively. Data were analyzed using the odds ratio. Results: men over 60, obese and with high AC are more susceptible to developing hypertension. AC was the risk factor with the highest statistical association. Conclusions: fat deposits in the abdominal region represent an important risk factor for the development of hypertension and anthropometric indices should be applied periodically in patients prone to hypertension