Crohn's Disease Medications Glossary of Terms

1. Irritable Bowel Disease Slideshow
2. Digestive Disease Myths Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the Tummy Trouble Quiz

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Absorption: Uptake. For example, intestinal absorption is the uptake of food (or other sub...

Adhesion: The union of two opposing tissue surfaces. This term is often used to refer to t...

Alcoholism: Physical dependence on alcohol to the extent that stopping alcohol use would b...

Allergy: A misguided reaction to foreign substances by the immune system, the body system ...

Anatomy: The study of human or animal form, by observation or examination of the living be...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Autoimmune: Pertaining to autoimmunity, a misdirected immune response that occurs when the...

Autoimmune disease: An illness that occurs when the body tissues are attacked by its own i...

Autoimmunity: A misdirected immune response that occurs when the immune system goes awry a...

Bone marrow: The soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains f...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Breastfeeding: Feeding a child human breast milk. According to the American Academy of Ped...

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Coagulation: In medicine, the clotting of blood. The process by which the blood clots to f...

Colectomy: An operation to remove all or part of the colon (large intestine). In a partial...

Colitis: Inflammation of the large intestine (the colon). There are many forms of coliti...

Colon: The long, coiled, tubelike organ that removes water from digested food. The remaini...

Colonoscopy: A procedure whereby a physician inserts a viewing tube (colonoscope) into the...

Colostomy: An artificial exit from the colon created to divert waste through a hole in the...

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

Corticosteroid: Any of the steroid hormones made by the outer portion (cortex) of the adre...

Cortisone: A naturally occurring adrenocorticoid hormone that is produced in minute amount...

Crohn's disease: A chronic inflammatory disease, primarily involving the small and large ...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Drain: A device for removing fluid from a cavity or wound. A drain is typically a tube or ...

Endoscopy: Examination of the inside of the body by using a lighted, flexible instrument c...

Essential: In medicine, of unknown cause, as in essential hypertension (high blood pressur...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Fungal: Pertaining to a fungus. For example, a fungal skin infection.

Gastroenteritis: Inflammation of the stomach and the intestines. Gastroenteritis can cause...

Gastroenterology: The medical specialty devoted to the study, diagnosis and treatment of d...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Glaucoma: A common eye condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eyes rises becaus...

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

Heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically...

Heparin: An anticoagulant (anti-clotting) medication. Heparin is useful in preventing thro...

Ileostomy: An opening into the ileum, part of the small intestine, from the outside of the...

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune response: Any reaction by the immune system. For example, poison ivy can cause an i...

Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing a person from every...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Inflammatory bowel disease: A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by infla...

Intercellular: Between cells, as in an intercellular bridge.

Internal medicine: The medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and medical treatment ...

Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion...

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

Large intestine: Comes after the small intestine. Large because it is wider than the smal...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Malabsorption: Poor intestinal absorption of nutrients. Malabsorption can occur from disea...

Marrow: The bone marrow.

Mercaptopurine: A drug that acts as an antimetabolite, interfering with the metabolism of ...

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Nasogastric: Referring to the passage from the nose to the stomach. Abbreviated NG.

Nasogastric tube: A tube that is passed through the nose and down through the nasopharynx ...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

NG tube: See: Nasogastric tube.

Nutrition: 1) The science or practice of taking in and utilizing foods. 2) A nourishing ...

Osteoporosis: Thinning of the bones, with reduction in bone mass, due to depletion of calc...

Ostomy: An operation to create an opening from an area inside the body to the outside.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Peptic ulcer: An ulcer in the lining of the stomach, duodenum, or esophagus. Peptic ulcers...

Pharmacist: A professional who fills prescriptions and, in the case of a compounding pharm...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Potassium: The major positive ion (cation) found inside cells. The chemical notation for p...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Prepubertal: Before puberty, the period during which secondary sex characteristics start t...

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

Regional enteritis: Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine prima...

Renal: Having to do with the kidney. For example, renal cancer is cancer of the kidneys.

Small intestine: The part of the digestive tract that extends from the stomach to the larg...

Stoma: An opening into the body from the outside that is created by a surgeon.

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Terminal ileitis: Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine involvi...

Toxicity: The degree to which a substance (a toxin or poison) can harm humans or animals. ...

Tubercular: See: Tuberculous.

Ulcer: A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various ...

Ulcerative colitis: A bowel disease that is characterized by inflammation with ulcer forma...

Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, if a person has a viral rash, the rash wa...