Summary. In order to diagnose and evaluate the clinical and neuropsychological characteristics of cognitive impairment, 112 patients with arterial hypertension were examined. The results showed that cognitive impairment is diagnosed in the vast majority of patients with HE – 82 %, including patients with stages I, II and III of hypertensive encephalopathy. The authors conclude that the severity of cognitive impairment correlates with the stage of GE and this reliably shows the involvement of such an important «target organ» as the brain in the pathological process of hypertension that requires great attention both in terms of diagnosis and treatment