NOTE: There are very few reports in the medical literature on the lung injury following poison ivy or poison oak smoke inhalation.
Poison ivy: Toxicodendron radicans (Eastern US), Toxicodendron rydbergii (Western US)
Poison oak: Toxicodendron toxicarium (Eastern US), Toxicodendron diversilobum (Western US)
Allergen: urushiol [alk(en)yl-catechols, such as 3-n-pentadecyl-catechol]
Sites of deposition:
(1) eyes, resulting in an allergic conjunctivitis and/or keratitis
(2) lungs, resulting in reactions ranging from bronchospasm and cough to ARDS
(3) skin, resulting in a contact dermatitis
(4) mouth, resulting in an allergic stomatitis
(5) gastrointestinal tract, resulting in a systemic allergic reaction with pruritus, erythroderma, diarrhea, etc
Factors affecting the severity of the reaction:
(1) sensitivity of the individual to the allergen
(2) density of plant allergen in the smoke
(3) duration of exposure
(4) body regions exposed
