Parasympatholytic


A parasympatholytic agent is a substance or activity that reduces the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.
The term parasympatholytic typically refers to the effect of a drug, although some poisons act to block the parasympathetic nervous system as well. Most drugs with parasympatholytic properties are anticholinergics.
"Parasympatholytic" and sympathomimetic agents have similar but not identical effects. For example, both cause mydriasis, but parasympatholytics reduce accommodation, whereas sympathomimetics do not.

Clinical significance

Parasympatholytic drugs are sometimes used to treat slow heart rhythms caused by myocardial infarctions or other pathologies, as well as to treat conditions that cause bronchioles in the lung to constrict, such as asthma. By blocking the parasympathetic nervous system, parasympatholytic drugs can increase heart rate in patients with bradycardic heart rhythms, and open up airways and reduce mucous production in patients suffering from asthma.