Colitis refers to inflammation of which region?

• A. Inflammation of the large intestine
• B. Inflammation of the stomach
• C. Inflammation of the small intestine
• D. Inflammation of the pancreas

Answer: (A)

Colitis is inflammation of the large intestine. The term comes from "colon," the main section of the large intestine, combined with the suffix "-itis," which means inflammation. So colitis specifically refers to inflammation affecting the colon (and often the nearby rectum), rather than other organs.

Inflammation of the stomach is gastritis, inflammation of the small intestine is enteritis, and inflammation of the pancreas is pancreatitis, which is why the other options don’t fit colitis.