-itis
(Greek: a suffix; inflammation, burning sensation; by extension, disease associated with inflammation)
This suffix has come to mean "inflammation of" but originally it meant "pertaining to" or "of the". The Greek word nosos ["disease"] was either expressed or understood, although it might not be included with the basic element. For example, bursitis nosos would mean "disease of the bursa".
photophthalmia, photo-ophthalmia
Ocular inflammation; especially, of the conjunctiva, due to intense light.
phrenitis
1. Inflammation of the brain or of its membranes, attended with delirium and fever; brain fever.
2. In Hippocrates’ classification, acute mental disease with fever. The other classes were mania (acute mental disease without fever); melancholia (chronic mental disturbances of various kinds, not limited to mood disorders); epilepsy (approximately the same as in current use); hysteria (somatoform disturbances, especially paroxysmic dyspnea, pain, and convulsions); and Scythian disease (transvestitism).
2. In Hippocrates’ classification, acute mental disease with fever. The other classes were mania (acute mental disease without fever); melancholia (chronic mental disturbances of various kinds, not limited to mood disorders); epilepsy (approximately the same as in current use); hysteria (somatoform disturbances, especially paroxysmic dyspnea, pain, and convulsions); and Scythian disease (transvestitism).
pleuritis
pneumonitis
A rare disorder of the skin; poikalodermatomyositis; petge-syndrome: Dr. Smart told his students that poikilodermatonyositis was a very uncommon ailment or disease of the skin and skeletal muscles.
poliomyelitis
An inflammation of several joints at the same time: Leona was dismayed to realize that the localized arthritis in her thumb appeared to have become polyarthritis because she was experiencing the same pain in several fingers.
polyneuritis
Neuritis (inflammation of a nerve accompanied by pain and sometimes loss of function) involving several nerves simultaneously.
posthitis
proctitis
pyelitis
1. Inflammation of the kidney and its pelvis caused by bacterial infection: "Pyelonephritis is determined by a laboratory diagnosis of the urine (urinalysis) which reveals white blood cells (pyuria or pus in the urine) and bacteria in the urine (bacteriuria)."
"Usually, pyelonephritis shows an increase in circulating white cells in the blood (leucocytosis)."
2. Bacterial infection of the kidney that can be acute (sudden) or chronic (slow, subtle, and stubborn): "Pyelonephritis is usually a result of bacteria going up from the bladder and then on into the ureters to infect the kidneys.""The symptoms of pyelonephritis include flank (side) pain, fever, shaking chills, sometimes foul-smelling urine, urgency (to urinate), frequency (urinating), and general malaise."
pylephletitis
Inflammation of the portal vein (large vein that carries blood from the stomach and intestines to the liver) or any of its branches.
Pylephletitis combines pyle-, "a reference to the entry of the portal vein into the liver" + phlebos, "vein".
radiculitis
retinitis
Inflammation of the retina.
