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ESCANABA -- Statistics show close to 24 million children and adults in the U.S., which is about eight percent of the population, suffer from diabetes.  And for those who fall under those statistics, keeping close tabs on your blood sugar levels is crucial to good health.

Well, some new equipment at OSF Saint Francis Hospital in Escanaba is now helping patients do just that.

Patient Donna Volpe has suffered from diabetes for 40 years.  But results from a new glucose monitoring system, which measures blood sugar levels more closely, showed she's making the right decisions when it comes to her health.

"Actually, I did pretty good," explained Volpe.  "So you know, I think I'm following my diet very well."

The small device is placed under the skin, and through a small computer chip, monitors blood sugar levels.  After the device is inserted into the patient, it's then left there for three to five days.  A small computer chip then monitors blood sugar levels every five minutes.  After taken out, physicians are able to review the results on the computer.  

While this doesn't replace your daily blood sugar testing, it does help doctors better treat patients and keep their blood sugar levels under better control.

"Sometimes it's an eye opener to show what your blood sugars really are because sometimes people think they're in good control--they get good readings, but then when they're getting the long-term readings, they're surprised it's a little different than what they've seen on previous tests," said OSF Diabetic Educator, Linda Klope.  "So this will show them exactly what's going on."

And if you don't keep tabs on what's going on, Klope says serious health complications can arise.

"The complications of diabetes are many," Klope said.  "Heart disease is a big one, but you can also see a lot of problems in your feet and with infections.  There are a lot of problems with diabetes if you don't control your blood sugar."

The glucose monitoring is usually done every six months.  So far, OSF has used the monitoring system on over 20 patients.