When a kidney transplant surgery is performed, we must understand a crucial point: a foreign organ (the donor kidney) is being placed inside our body. Naturally, our body recognizes that this organ isn’t its own and starts to reject it. The body’s immune system tries to attack and remove it.
To prevent this, patients are given immunosuppressive medications—usually three types of medicines—to suppress the immune system so that it doesn't reject the new kidney.
The most important thing to understand is that these medicines don’t just reduce the immune response against the kidney—they reduce the body's overall immunity. That means transplant patients become more vulnerable to infections of all kinds.
That’s why the doctor’s main job after a transplant is not only to prevent rejection but also to prevent infections.
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