The Nation - News from Nov. 19, 1986

A hormone the heart secretes to remove salt from the blood shows great promise in treating a form of high blood pressure affecting 50 million Americans, but its use as a drug is probably more than five years away, researchers said. The hormone, called atrial natriuretic factor or ANF, has been shown to temporarily reduce high blood pressure in dozens of patients and may be useful in the treatment of congestive heart failure, several top cardiac scientists said at the American Heart Assn.’s national scientific meeting in Dallas.