Difficulty breathing and the struggle for air were the most commonly reported symptoms of asthma. Peoples' familiarity with asthma depends on where they live in Ethiopia. In the northern and middle regions, asthma is not as common and is less familiar. Cultural Knowledge and Traditional Treatment Asthma was distinguished from colds, pneumonia, tuberculosis and other illnesses of the lung.
Pneumonia is very common, associated with cold air exposure, and treated with cupping in the home.
There was no stigma or taboo associated with asthma. People were aware that one can die from asthma and although it is occasionally seen in children, it is more common in the elderly. Children are also thought to grow out of their symptoms. The etiology of asthma was unclear. Some thought it was contagious to some extent because it was associated with tuberculosis which is known to be communicable.