What term means inflammation of the small intestine?

• A. Enteritis
• B. Gastritis
• C. Ileitis
• D. Colitis

Answer: (A)

Understanding medical terms built from organ prefixes and the -itis suffix helps identify what’s inflamed. Inflammation of the small intestine is called enteritis, because enter- means intestine and -itis signals inflammation. The other terms point to different parts: gastritis is inflammation of the stomach (gastr- = stomach), ileitis targets the ileum, a portion of the small intestine (though it specifies a particular segment rather than the whole small intestine), and colitis is inflammation of the colon (large intestine). So enteritis is the best fit for inflammation of the small intestine as a general condition.