Objective: To explore the changes in levels of angiogenic T lymphocytes (Tang) in the peripheral blood of rats exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) and their impact on early atherosclerosis. Methods: Healthy adult Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into two groups: the normal feeding group (RA group) and the chronic intermittent hypoxia group (IH group), with the IH exposed to intermittent hypoxia for 8 h per day for a total of 6 weeks. The intermittent hypoxia pattern was set to repeat every 2 min, with 40 s of nitrogen gas to reduce the oxygen concentration from 21% to 8% and stabilize for 20 s, followed by normal air to restore the oxygen concentration to 21% for 40 s and maintain for 20 s. After modeling, levels of Tang and endothelial progenitor cells（EPC）were measured by Flow Cytometry. Levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), triglycerides(TG), total cholesterol(TC) and homocysteine（Hcy）were measured by ELISA. pathological changes were observed in H & E stained pathological sections of the thoracic aorta. Results: Flow cytometry results showed that compared to the RA group, the levels of Tang in rats of the IH group were significantly elevated [(22.975±1.866)% vs. (15.713±1.746)%, P <0.001], and there was no statistical difference in EPC levels [(0.04±0.028)% vs. (0.028±0.012)%, P>0.05]; H&E staining results showed that the IMT of rats thoracic aorta in the IH group was significantly increased compared to the RA group [(121.275±30.896)μm vs. (84.075±7.452)μm, P<0.05]; ELISA experiments indicated that the Hcy level in the IH group was significantly higher compared to the RA group [(6.2±0.6)μmol/L vs.(5.5±0.6)μmol/L, P<0.05], but there were no statistical differences in HDL-C, LDL-C, TC, and TG levels (P>0.05). Conclusion: In the early stage of atherosclerosis induced by CIH, the levels of Tang are elevated and can delay the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis.