steatitis

Term: steatitis (Yellow Fat Disease)

Literally meaning: “inflammation of adipose (fatty)  tissue”

Origin: Anc Greek

στέαρ/stear(=tallow)

+-ίτις/-tis(=suffix which is used with the feminine noun η νόσος/ nosos/=disease, denoting “inflammation of”).

Coined/History

(?)

Definition

Steatitis is a painful condition seen in cats and mink characterized by a lump under the skin surface due to inflammation of adipose tissue.  This condition  is usually the result of a diet high in unsaturated fatty acids and deficient in Vitamin E.  A diet rich in red tuna is often the cause of steatitis.