Which suffix indicates inflammation?

• A. -ology
• B. -itis
• C. -ectomy
• D. -pathy

Answer: (B)

The suffix that indicates inflammation is "-itis." In medical terminology, many conditions related to inflammation use this suffix to describe a particular organ or system affected by inflammatory processes. For example, "arthritis" refers to inflammation of the joints, and "gastritis" refers to inflammation of the stomach lining. This suffix is universally recognized in medical contexts to convey the presence and nature of inflammation, making it an essential component of medical nomenclature.

The other suffixes are related to different concepts: "-ology" denotes the study of a subject (like "cardiology," the study of the heart), "-ectomy" refers to the surgical removal of a particular body part (as in "appendectomy," the removal of the appendix), and "-pathy" indicates a disease or disorder (such as "neuropathy," which refers to disease affecting the nervous system). While these terms are important in their own right, they do not specifically denote inflammation as "-itis" does.