What gastrointestinal disorder is characterized by inflammation of the large bowel?

The condition characterized by inflammation of the large bowel is ulcerative colitis. This chronic inflammatory bowel disease primarily affects the colon and rectum, leading to symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. Unlike irritable bowel syndrome, which affects bowel function but does not cause inflammation, ulcerative colitis involves significant inflammation and ulceration of the intestinal lining.

Crohn's disease, while also an inflammatory bowel disease, can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, not just the large bowel. Diverticulitis is an inflammation or infection of small pouches, known as diverticula, that can form in the wall of the colon. Each of these conditions has distinct characteristics, but ulcerative colitis specifically denotes inflammation confined to the large bowel, making it the correct answer.