Crohn’s & Colitis Glossary

Rectum

The part of the large intestine between the colon and the anus that holds stool before

it is evacuated from the body in a bowel movement.

Regulatory/Regulator

A government body that includes subject-matter experts to implement laws passed by Congress, by creating and enforcing rules, guidelines and standards. Examples include the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Remission

The period when inflammation and symptoms from IBD disappear, decrease, or are under control.

Restoration

The stage of returning patients to normal functioning and improved quality of life.

Shared decision making

This is when a healthcare provider and a patient work together to make a healthcare decision that is best for the patient. The optimal decision considers evidence-based information about available options, the provider’s knowledge and experience, and the patient's values and preferences.

Small intestine

An organ in the GI tract that connects the stomach to the large intestine, where most of the digestion of food and absorption of nutrients and minerals takes place.

Step Therapy

A protocol used by health insurance plans that requires patients to try and fail on one or more lower cost medications before they will provide coverage for the medication originally prescribed by the patient’s provider.

Stoma

A surgically created opening in the body where a part of the bowel (small or large intestine) pokes out of your abdominal wall and provides an opening for waste to pass through into an external ostomy pouch.

Stricture

An area of narrowing in the intestines.

Suppository

Medication that is mixed with a waxy substance and shaped like a torpedo that is inserted through the anus and into the rectum. Once inside the body, it melts to release the medicine.