Construct the medical term referring to a skin inflammation below the waist.

• A. Infradermatitis
• B. Hypodermatitis
• C. Dermatitis
• D. Panniculitis

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Identify the root word related to the skin. In this case, 'dermat' refers to the skin.
2. Step 2: Understand the prefixes that indicate location relative to the skin. 'Infra-' means below, but it is more commonly used for 'below' in a general sense, while 'hypo-' specifically means 'under' or 'below' in medical terminology.
3. Step 3: Combine the prefix with the root word to indicate inflammation below the skin. The suffix '-itis' means inflammation, so the term should end with '-itis'.
4. Step 4: Analyze the options: 'Infradermatitis' uses 'infra-' but is not the standard prefix for 'below the skin'; 'Hypodermatitis' uses 'hypo-' which correctly means 'below the skin'; 'Dermatitis' means inflammation of the skin itself; 'Panniculitis' refers to inflammation of the subcutaneous fat layer, which is deeper than just below the skin.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the correct medical term for inflammation below the skin is constructed by combining 'hypo-' (below), 'dermat' (skin), and '-itis' (inflammation), resulting in 'Hypodermatitis'.