Crohn’s & Colitis Glossary

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.

Immunosuppressive

A type of drug that works against the body’s immune (protective) response.

Indeterminate colitis (also known as IBD-unclassified)

A type of IBD that shares characteristics of both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis but cannot be diagnosed as either.