Medical glossary for healthcare interpreters

I

Ice therapy 

cooling of deeper tissues

Idiopathic

of unknown origin

Ileal

related to the ileum, the lowest end of the small intestine.

Ileitis

see crohn's disease

Ileocolitis

irritation of the lower part of the small intestine (ileum) and colon

Ileostomy

operation that makes it possible for stool to leave the body, after the colon and rectum are removed, in which an opening is made in the abdomen and the bottom of the small intestine (ileum) attaches to it.

Ileum

lower end of the small intestine.

Imaging

tests or evaluation procedures that produce pictures of areas inside the body.

Immobilization

preventing movement to allow for natural healing to take place.

Immune system

complex network of specialized cells and organs that work together to defend the body against attacks by "foreign" invaders such as bacteria and viruses.

Immunoglobulin e (ige)

a type of antibody, formed to protect the body from infection, which attaches to mast cells in the respiratory and intestinal tracts and may cause allergic rhinitis, asthma, or eczema.

Immunoglobulins

antibodies or proteins found in blood and tissue fluids produced by cells of the immune system to bind to substances in the body that are recognized as foreign antigens. Immunoglobulins sometimes bind to antigens that are not necessarily a threat to healt

Immunology

the study of the body’s immune system - its functions and disorders.

Immunosuppresive medications

medications that suppress the body's immune system; often used to minimize rejection of transplanted organs.

Immunotherapy

treatment of allergy to substances such as pollens, house dust mites, fungi, and stinging insect venom by giving gradually increasing doses of the substance, or allergen, to which the person is allergic.

Immunotherapy (also called biological th

treatment that uses the body’s natural defenses to fight disease.

Impaction

trapping of an object in a body passage, such as stones in the bile duct or hardened stool in the colon.

Impaired glucose tolerance (igt)

a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but are not high enough to be classified as diabetes; a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Impedance plethysmography

a test to evaluate blood flow through the leg.

In vitro fertilization

treatment for infertility in which a woman's egg is fertilized, outside her body, with her partner's sperm or sperm from a donor.