Lamar Odom might "never be the same" again after collapsing.

Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom

The 35-year-old basketball player is recovering in hospital after being found unconscious in a Nevada brothel earlier this month, and a source close to estranged wife Khloe Kardashian's family says his organs are so badly destroyed from taking drugs and abusing alcohol that doctors are worried the effects could be "permanent".

The source said: "It's two steps forward, then a step back, but it does feel like some progress is being made, little by little. There's still a black cloud, like, 'Okay, what's next?'

"The pneumonia was a huge setback, and now there's worry about permanent scarring of the lungs. His kidneys are still not functioning correctly, but he's nowhere near strong enough to even think of a transplant, so he's on dialysis."

Lamar's mobility has been severely affected and medical professionals are doing their best to "minimise" them.

The source told PEOPLE magazine: "He can carry out simple directions, but it takes some time for him to do it. But that's way better than he was last week, so the family is taking the good news as they get it. He has wrecked his body, so it'll take time to figure out how well he can come back. But everyone knows that he'll never be the same as he was before this happened. There will always be lasting effects, and doctors are just trying to minimise them."