What was the disease of the legs that afflicted King Asa?
OBJECTIVE
The elderly have suffered from pain in their legs, which may be associated with various diseases, for thousands of years. This report analyzes the disease that afflicted the biblical King Asa (the third king of the house of Judah who reigned between 867 and 906 BCE).


RESULTS
The sentence 'Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his legs' indicates that King Asa suffered from disease in his legs. Among numerous diseases, peripheral vascular disease, gout, and degenerative osteoarthritis were most likely to affect the King's legs. And among these diseases, the diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease is the most acceptable.


CONCLUSIONS
This report shows that the roots of contemporary modern gerontology can be traced back to biblical times.
Ben-Noun
L
L
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty for Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. l-bennoun@zahav.net.il
D005197:Famous Persons; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D007585:Jews / Q000266:history; D008297:Male; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history*