take a heavy toll on somebody

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

take a heavy ˈtoll (on sb/sth) | take its ˈtoll (on sb/sth) idiom
to have a bad effect on sb/sth; to cause a lot of damage, deaths, suffering, etc
•Illness had taken a heavy toll on her.
•The recession is taking its toll on the housing markets.
Main entry: ↑toll_idiom