Erythrocyte membrane characteristics were examined in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WK), stroke-resistant spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSR) and stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP). The membrane of SHRSP was more labile against osmotic shock than that of SHRSR or WK at the age of 2 months. This membrane fragility was not dependent on their blood pressure. The membrane permeability of lipophilic ion, tetraphenylphosphonium, was increased in 1-month old SHRSP. These membrane characteristics in SHRSP were partially dependent on cholesterol amount which was significantly decreased in SHRSP. The method determining the membrane fragility was applied to human erythrocytes. Two groups of people were selected from about 2,000 inhabitants under our community health control program. The erythrocytes from the group with stroke in their family history were more labile than erythrocytes from the corresponding group without stroke in their family history. This result suggests that the examination of these membrane characteristics may give us a new method to detect a genetic risk to hypertension or stroke-proneness also in human.