Saudi monarch suffers herniated disc: report

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz is suffering from a herniated disc, the royal court announced on Friday, according to the official SPA news agency.

"The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is suffering from back problems, which doctors diagnosed as a herniated disc," the court said in a brief statement carried by SPA.

"Doctors have advised him to rest as part of his therapy," it said, adding that the announcement followed the monarch's "principle of transparency."

On Monday his half brother, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, chaired the weekly cabinet meeting with no explanation why the 86-year-old king was absent.

The slipping or rupturing of one of the discs in the spine, a herniated disc, is not life-threatening and is usually treated by rest, physical therapy and anti-inflammatory drugs.