by Ritchie Donovan (Editor) Arthritis refers to joint inflammation which can impact a single joint or a number of joints. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), metabolic arthritis, osteoarthritis and infectious arthritis are some of the different types of arthritis. It has various signs and symptoms such as stiffness, pain, swelling, redness, etc. The factors that contribute to the development of arthritis are aberrant metabolism, infections, injuries, immune system malfunction and genetic makeup. Some of the imaging techniques that are used to diagnose arthritis include computerized tomography (CT), ultrasound, X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).