The heart of the matter: Northwest Indiana hospitals make fighting cardiovascular disease a top priority

While it's true a broken heart due to love hurts, a broken heart due to your health can be a legititimate killer, especially in Northwest Indiana.

Statewide, 18,244 deaths, or 32.2 percent of all deaths in 2008, were related to cardiovascular diseases, including strokes, according to the American Heart Association. In Lake County, the number is even higher at 34.6 percent in. It's only slightly lower in Porter County at 29.4 percent. It means that about one in every four people in Porter County and one in every three in Lake County will die because of cardiovascular disease.

In September, the U.N. General Assembly hosted its first summit on chronic diseases, which account for nearly two-thirds of deaths worldwide, heart disease included.

However, global organizations aren't alone in making cardiovascular diseases a priority.

From a recently opened Arrhythmia Center at Indiana University Health LaPorte Hospital to Methodist Hospitals — which has won awards from the American Heart Association for its treatment of heart disease patients, keeping Northwest Indiana tickers ticking is a top priority of area health care systems and physicians.

Region facilties offer cutting-edge technolgy. The Arrhythmia Center offers diagnosis and treatment of unusually fast or slow heartbeat patterns. Porter Valparaiso Hospital Campus provides hypothermia therapy, and Community Healthcare System operates the Accredited Chest Pain Centers.

The total cost of treating heart disease in Indiana was estimated at $4.15 billion in 2003, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. By the year 2023, the cost of treating strokes and cardiovascular diseases in the state is expected to be more than $10 billion.