Glossary

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ibuprofen
ingredient in some medicines that reduces swelling, pain, and fever
ignorance
lack of knowledge or understanding
immune compromised
when a person's immune system has been impaired, often by disease, genetics or medications, which decreases its ability to fight infections properly
immune system
intricate network of cells, molecules, and genetic components that defend the body against infections and other invading substances
immunity
body's resistance to the effects of a harmful agent, such as a virus. A person may develop immunity to one virus, but not another.
immunization
injection with a vaccine that causes the body to develop immunity against a certain virus or bacterial infection
immunoglobulin
type of blood plasma that provides immunity to certain viruses, such as hepatitis A and hepatitis B (also called gamma-globulin) but not hepatitis C
incidence
number of new cases of a disease occurring in a given population over a certain period of time, usually reported as number of new cases per year
inflammation
response to injury that involves swelling, redness, heat, and pain that serves to rid the body of a toxic substance or damaged tissue
informed consent
patient's agreement to be a part of a medical procedure, like a blood test, only after understanding the benefits, risks, process, and possible outcomes of the procedure
injection
to push a liquid into a cavity, vessel, tissue, or body part, usually with a needle or syringe; can be intramuscular - into the muscle, intravenous - into the vein, or subcutaneous - under the skin
INR
international normalized ratio; a blood test that measures the length of time blood takes to clot
insomnia
unable to sleep
insulin resistance
when the body doesn’t respond well to the insulin that the pancreas is making; insulin helps to regulate the level of glucose (sugar) in the body
interferon
natural protein produced by the immune system in response to attack by a virus; it helps protect healthy cells from infection