Allergic Sensitization and Psychosomatic Involvement in Outdoor and Indoor Workers: A Preliminary and Explorative Survey of Motorway Toll Collectors and Office Employees

The incidence of respiratory and cutaneous allergic disorders may be variable if we consider
work activity. These disorders are reported in the current literature to have a relevant psychosomatic
involvement. The aim of the study was to submit a survey on the self-reported occurrence of allergic
respiratory and cutaneous diseases in outdoor and indoor workers to verify the onset or exacerbations
of such pathologies, encourage surveillance, and suggest the need for further studies. Two groups of
workers were compared when exposed and not exposed to air pollutants. An outdoor population of
motorway toll collectors (153 workers; M: 58.03 years old, SD: 6.1; and female prevalence of 66.01%)
and an indoor group of office employees (59 workers; mean age 54.44 years, SD: 8.50; and male
prevalence of 61.02%) entered the study. The results of three multivariate analyses of the obtained
data, investigating contributions of external factors, including age, sex, smoking habits, working
type, and seniority, on allergic conditions were significant in both workers’ groups. The findings
highlighted that age and smoking habits were significant contributors to allergic conditions, both
independently and in combination with other factors, such as sex and working type. The data
suggest the presence of phenomena related to different etiological domains, as already reported in
the literature. Through the collection of these data, it was possible to highlight the need to analyze
clinical signs from different perspectives.