Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Enterocolitis
Introduction
Enterocolitis (or “coloenteritis”) is an inflammation of the colon and small intestine.[1] However, most conditions are categorfized as one or the other of the following:
- Enteritis is the inflammation of the small intestine
- Colitis is inflammation of the large intestine, especially the colon
Types
Types
Specific types of enterocolitis include:
- necrotizing enterocolitis (most common in premature infants)
- autistic enterocolitis (a controversial entity of bowel disease in autistic children)
- pseudomembranous enterocolitis (also called “Pseudomembranous colitis“)