Approximate entropy as a measure of the airflow pattern complexity in asthma

The scientific and clinical value of a measure of complexity is potentially enormous because complexity appears to be lost in the presence of illness. The changes introduced by asthma in respiratory mechanics and control of breathing may result in modifications in the airflow pattern. These changes may be interesting clinically, since they can reduce the ability of the patient to perform daily life activities. In this paper, we examine the effect of elevated airway obstruction on the complexity of the airflow pattern of asthmatic patients using the approximate entropy method (ApEnQ). This study involved 5 healthy and asthmatics with normal spirometric exam (5), mild (5), moderate (6) and severe (5) airway obstruction. A significant (p〈0.002) reduction in ApEnQ was observed in asthmatic patients. This reduction was significantly correlated with spirometric indices of airway obstruction (R=0.60; p〈0.001). These results are in close agreement with pathophysiological fundamentals, and suggest that in asthmatic patients the airflow pattern becomes less complex, which may reduce the adaptability of the respiratory system to perform exercise associated with daily life activities. Furthermore, our findings also suggest that ApEnQ may help the clinical evaluation of asthmatic patients.