new delhi the extreme heat condition is taking a toll on delhiites city hospitals claim they are getting up to a dozen cases of high grade fever and severe dehydration daily in some cases the symptoms are so acute that patients have to be kept in the icu no death as a result of heatrelated illness has been reported so far though we have received at least two patients in the past week who had to be admitted in the icu because of heatrelated illness they suffered from 106 and 107 degrees of fever with kidney dysfunction said dr sumit ray vicechairperson critical care at sir ganga ram hospital this happens if the bodys cooling mechanism is overstressed he said our body temperature is controlled from a part of the brain called hypothalamus in extreme heat conditions this control centre gets reset which causes the body temperature to remain persistently high we have to administer a lot of fluid solution to keep the body hydrated he added ray said kidney was the first major organ to be affected but the function of other organs such as the heart can also be compromised because of severe dehydration and high fever dr r k singal head of internal and emergency medicine at blk superspeciality hospital said that they had received close to a dozen patients suffering from heatrelated ailments in the past few days according to dr pranav kumar neurosurgeon at apollo hospital severe dehydration is also linked to sinus thrombosisclotting of the blood in the brains venous sinuses because of severe dehydration the concentration of blood thickens we do come across cases where there is clotting of the blood because of this and an urgent treatment is required to prevent fatal consequences he said those working outdoor as well as people with preexisting illnesses and small children are at higher risk of severe dehydration said doctors regular fluid intake is a must in heat conditions dr rommel tickoo senior consultant internal medicine max hospital saket said roadside food and drinks should be avoided as they could worsen the situation by causing gastrointestinal illnesses another common medical problem during summer early symptoms of a heat stroke are weakness dry tongue and cramps sweltering heat can affect the skin too if precautions such as appropriate clothing and application of sunscreen are not taken