Crohn’s & Colitis Glossary

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.

Gut

Another name for the intestines or bowel.

High Deductible Plan (HDP)

A health insurance plan that usually has lower premiums and a high deductible – where you pay all of your healthcare costs until you meet your deductible and then the insurer pays a portion of your costs. This is usually combined with a health savings account (HSA). A high deductible plan may be an HMO, POS, PPO, or EPO plan.

High-Risk Pool Plan

Health insurance plans offered to individuals who have been locked out of the individual insurance market because of a pre-existing condition. Premiums for these plans can be up to twice as much as a healthy individual would pay for individual coverage.

Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (also known as IPAA or J-pouch)

A surgical procedure in which an internal pouch is created from a portion of the small intestine and connected to the anus.

Ileostomy

A type of ostomy in which the stoma is formed by bringing a loop or the end of the small intestine through the abdominal wall and then your stool (poop) will empty into a pouch secured to the skin.

Immune response

The way your body defends itself against substances it sees as harmful or foreign.

Immune system

A system of tissues and cells in the body that work to protect it from infections and diseases.

Immunomodulators

Medications that change the way the immune system works.