As distinct from prerenal causes, renal causes of renal failure include all pathological conditions which affect parenchyma of kidneys. The most often reasons of acute kidneys affection are acute glomerulonephrites, interstitial nephritises, renotrophic intoxications, clottage of renal vessels, kidney infarct, etc. It is necessary to note, that the pathological process can affect both renal glomuluses (glomerulonephritis), disturbing the process of filtration, and epithelium of tubules (nephritis, intoxications), what results in their congestion and their disturbed reabsorbtion.

One of common forms of renal failure is congestion of renal tubules by haemoglobin of decayed erythrocytes that usually occures during massive hemolysis. Renal failure develops also in case of nephrectomy of both kidneys or their serious traumas.

The most common postrenal causes of renal failure are acute obstruction of ureters of both kidneys which can occure in case of urolithiasis, prelum of ureters by a ligature (during surgical operations), hematoma (because of traumas), tumour, etc. As a rule, simultaneous functional disorder of both ureters happens quite seldom.