The rates of cardiomyocyte apoptosis and myocardial hypertrophy were investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats by TUNEL-assay and evaluation of nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio relatively. It was found that genetic hypertension in rats was accompanied by a significant increase in apoptotic index of ventricular cardiomyocytes, and the dynamics of programmed cell death in the right and left ventricles was different. Myocardial hypertrophy began to develop in SHR rats within the first weeks of life and was associated with reduced apoptosis rate. Moreover its effect on the programmed death of cardiomyocytes was more marked in the left ventricle of the heart.