Evaluation of walking activity and gait to identify physical and mental fatigue in neurodegenerative and immune disorders: preliminary insights from the IDEA-FAST feasibility study

Many individuals with neurodegenerative (NDD) and immune‑mediated inflammatory disorders (IMID) experience debilitating fatigue. Currently, assessments of fatigue rely on patient reported outcomes (PROs), which are subjective and prone to recall biases. Wearable devices, however, provide objective and reliable estimates of gait, an essential component of health, and may present objective evidence of fatigue. This study explored the relationships between gait characteristics derived from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and patient‑reported fatigue in the IDEA‑FAST feasibility study.