Appendicitis is the medical term for what condition?

Appendicitis is the medical term for what condition?

• A. Hypovolemia
• B. Appendicitis
• C. Arthroplasty
• D. Angiography

Answer: (B)

Medical terms often use -itis to mean inflammation of a body part. Appendicitis follows that pattern: it describes inflammation of the appendix, the small pouch attached to the large intestine. So the term refers to the condition of the appendix becoming inflamed. The other terms point to different things—hypovolemia is low blood volume, arthroplasty is joint replacement, and angiography is imaging of blood vessels—none of which describe the inflammation of the appendix.

Medical terms often use -itis to mean inflammation of a body part. Appendicitis follows that pattern: it describes inflammation of the appendix, the small pouch attached to the large intestine. So the term refers to the condition of the appendix becoming inflamed. The other terms point to different things—hypovolemia is low blood volume, arthroplasty is joint replacement, and angiography is imaging of blood vessels—none of which describe the inflammation of the appendix.