Biblically Accurate!Hwang Junho
Disclaimer: This post does not serve as canon information, it only serves as perspective. By this I mean that anything I list such as potential symptoms, treatments, etc. may not be 100% accurate to canon as I am not a doctor and I am certainly not a fictional character's doctor, but every affect I mention WILL be accurate to the condition canonically portrayed in real life situations.
Treatment after a renal transplant is meant to be kept up with regularly, and consists of immunosuppressants, anti-infective medications which are prescribed for the first few months after the transplant, and potentially other medications such as stomach acid blockers, blood pressure medicine, diuretics, and blood thinners.
Typically, the treatment regimen for a renal transplant consists of a "triple therapy" of Prograf, CellCept/Myfortic, and Prednisone, along with the anti-infective and other miscellaneous medications. These medications HAVE to be kept on top of, or Junho would be at HIGH risk for kidney rejection.
Truthfully, even missing a day of this regimen can put him at risk, because his new kidney is basically a foreign object posing as an organ to his immune system. (SOURCES: #1 , #2 , #3)
Long & Short Term Side Effects of Renal Transplant
The potential long term effects that can happen after a renal transplant are a MASSIVE list, with some being more common than others. Some side effects are completely looked over as well, so I will be listing the most common ones first, and then other potential fates for Hwang Junho as well.
The Common Side Effects/Risks Include:
Infection (Most common even months or years after the transplant)
Rejection (10 to 15 out of every 100 patients within the first year)
Hernia (5 to 10 out of 100 patients)
Blood vessel narrowing (1 to 5 out of 100 patients)
Narrowing of the ureter (1 to 5 out of 100 patients)
Increased risk of cancer (Skin cancers being the most common, as well as lymphoma)
Heart problems (Typically can happen many months or years after transplants) {SOURCES: #1 , #2}
The Overlooked/Less Common Side Effects/Risks Include:
Functional movement disorders (such as ataxia, myoclonus, chorea, paresthesia, and parkinson's- common causes being neurotoxicity from immunosuppressants, hypomagnesemia, and rapid changes in sodium levels) {SOURCES: #1 , #2 }
Neurological disorders (confusion, amnesia, peripheral neuropathy, encephalopathy, central nervous system infections such as meningitis and encephalitis, and cerebrovascular diseases [such as stroke, ischemic and hemorrhagic], as well a cognitive impairments and disorders such as depression, anxiety, and delirium) {SOURCES: #1 , #2 }
Hearing loss (usually from otoxic effects from immunosuppressants or other complications such as diabetes and uremia, and particularly is high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss [SNHL]) {SOURCES: #1 , #2}
Besides the rigorous medication regimen mentioned at the beginning of the post and keeping on top of said regimen, Junho may have (and honestly should have been) using mobility aids (such as a cane, rollator, and/or wheelchair) and possibly a cochlear implant/hearing aid. Mobility dysfunction and hearing loss can both be permanent for a renal transplant patient, and most daily activities and other means of living are much more difficult without these aids in this condition.
