Additionally, it can be diagnosed through sarcopenia, or loss of skeletal muscle mass.Laboratory markers are used in evaluation of people with cachexia, including albumin, prealbumin, C-reactive protein, or hemoglobin. However, laboratory metrics and cut-off values are not standardized across different diagnostic criteria. Acute phase reactants (IL-6, IL-1b, tumor necrosis factor-a, IL-8, interferon-g) are sometimes measured but correlate poorly with outcomes. There are no biomarkers to identify people with cancer who may develop cachexia.In the effort to better classify cachexia severity, several scoring systems have been proposed including the Cachexia Staging Score (CSS) and Cachexia Score (CASCO). The CSS takes into account weight loss, subjective reporting of muscle function, performance status, appetite loss, and laboratory changes to categorize patients into non-cachexia, pre-cachexia, cachexia, and refractory cachexia. The Cachexia SCOre (CASCO) is another validated score that includes evaluation of body weight loss and composition, inflammation, metabolic disturbances, immunosuppression, physical performance, anorexia, and quality of life.Evaluation of changes in body composition is limited by the difficulty in measuring muscle mass and health in a non-invasive and cost-effective way. Imaging with quantification of muscle mass has been investigated including bioelectrical impedance analysis, computed tomography, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and magnetic resonance imaging but are not widely used. Definition
Identification, treatment, and research of cachexia have historically been limited by the lack of a widely accepted definition of cachexia.
Co-amilozide (BAN) is a non-proprietary combination of amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide. Co-amilozide is used in the treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure with the tendency of the thiazide to cause low potassium levels (hypokalaemia) offset by the potassium-sparing effects of amiloride. Formulation
Two strengths of co-amilozide are currently available in the UK:
2.5 mg amiloride and 25 mg hydrochlorothiazide, BAN of Co-amilozide 2.5/25 (brand name Moduret 25)
5 mg amiloride and 50 mg hydrochlorothiazide, BAN of Co-amilozide 5/50 (brand name Moduretic)In North America:

Moduretic (U.S., Canada)
Moduretic 5-50 (U.S., Canada)
Novamilor (Canada)

Side effects
The most common side effect is headache (about 8% of people taking it) and nausea, loss of appetite, weakness, rash and dizziness (each about 3%).Common side effects (1/10 - 1/100) include:
General: weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, dizziness. Circulatory system: arrhythmia. Gastrointestinal: nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain. Skin: exanthema, itching. Respiratory system: shortness of breath, cough. Metabolic: elevated blood sugar in diabetic patients, elevated uric acid levels in the blood. Musculoskeletal: pain in the limbs. == References ==