What is enteritis?

What is enteritis?

Enteritis is inflammation of your small intestine. The most common causes are viral or bacterial infections and radiation exposure. Enteritis can also include the stomach (gastroenteritis) or the large intestine (enterocolitis). Enteritis caused by infection is often gastroenteritis. Common examples are food poisoning and the stomach flu.

When your small intestine is irritated and inflamed, it may cause fever, swelling and abdominal pain. This may affect your digestive process, resulting in nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Acute enteritis comes on suddenly and usually only lasts a few days. Less commonly, a chronic condition may cause persistent enteritis.