Crohn’s & Colitis Glossary

Explanation of Benefits

A statement sent by a health insurance plan detailing what medical treatments and/or services were paid for on behalf of the covered individual.

Extraintestinal manifestations

Signs, symptoms, or complications of IBD that occur outside of the gastrointestinal tract such as arthritis, eye inflammation, or skin rashes.

Fatigue

A feeling of extreme tiredness and exhaustion.

Fecal calprotectin

A stool test for intestinal inflammation that aids in predicting active disease.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)

A procedure to collect feces (also called stool or poop) from a healthy donor and introduce the collection into a patient’s gastrointestinal tract.

Fibrosis

Scarring or thickening of tissue.

Fistula

A tunnel starting from the intestine that connects to another area of the body (another area of the intestine, bladder, vagina, or skin).

Flare

When IBD symptoms reappear after a period of low or no activity. The symptoms can get worse over time or get worse suddenly.

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract

This includes all parts of the body that digest food, including the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus.

Genes

These are basic units of inheritance that carry the information that determines your features or characteristics. They are passed on to you from your parents.