Objective: To define methodological standards that would improve the quality and reproducibility of case-control genetic association studies in sepsis.
Design: Summary of the published standards.
Results: Twelve main criteria and measures for evaluation of those criteria were developed from a variety of reviews and editorials on the subject.
Conclusions: Case-control candidate gene association studies represent an important tool for understanding the role that genes play in the pathogenesis of sepsis. It is important, however, to understand the limitations of these studies and the need for replication.