PRL and hyperprolactinemia: A study that included 35 hyperprolactinemic patients with untreated pituitary adenomas and 36 healthy controls found that mean carotid intima layer thickness, capillary blood glucose, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein were significantly higher in patients with elevated PRL, demonstrating that hyperprolactinemia is associated with preclinical atherosclerosis and metabolic abnormalities [35].