The suffix -itis indicates what?

The suffix -itis indicates what?

• A. Swelling
• B. Infection
• C. Degeneration
• D. Inflammation

Answer: (D)

Suffixes in medical terms tell you what’s happening to a body part. The ending -itis signals inflammation of the organ or tissue named by the root word. That’s why inflammation is the correct meaning. Swelling can occur with inflammation, but -itis itself denotes the inflammatory process rather than just swelling. It’s not about infection by itself—infection is a separate concept, and degeneration is described by other endings such as -osis or -pathy. For example, dermatitis means inflammation of the skin, and tonsillitis means inflammation of the tonsils.

Suffixes in medical terms tell you what’s happening to a body part. The ending -itis signals inflammation of the organ or tissue named by the root word. That’s why inflammation is the correct meaning. Swelling can occur with inflammation, but -itis itself denotes the inflammatory process rather than just swelling. It’s not about infection by itself—infection is a separate concept, and degeneration is described by other endings such as -osis or -pathy. For example, dermatitis means inflammation of the skin, and tonsillitis means inflammation of the tonsils.