Researchers studied COVID-19 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in order to determine the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 with AIS and identify factors predictive of functional outcomes in these patients.

• Multicenter retrospective cohort study including a total of 230 COVID-19 patients with AIS.

• Of patients, 67.0% were older than 60 years.

• At presentation, the median (IQR) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was 12.0 (17.0) and large vessel occlusion (LVO) was evident in 42.8% (89/208).

• With an observed mortality rate of 38.8%, nearly 50.2% of the patients had poor outcomes.

• COVID-19 linked AIS appeared to be associated with severe disability or death.

• Poor functional outcomes were observed in significant association with age > 60 years, diabetes mellitus, increased NIHSS at admission, LVO and no intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator.

• Elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, rather than D-dimer, was identified as predictive for both morbidity and mortality.