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Background There have been reports suggesting an increased incidence of acute ischemic stroke among anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccinees. We aimed to systematically review the literature to summarize the available evidence on the association between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and acute ischemic stroke. Methods A systematic literature search on MEDLINE, LitCovid and LIVIVO databases was performed for eligible randomized controlled trials, observational studies, registries and case reports that reported on imaging-confirmed acute ischemic stroke in the context of any SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, Ad26.COV2.S, ChAdOx1 or Gam-COVID-Vac. Literature search was limited to English and German languages and publication date before October 19, 2021. Results We identified a total of 395,105,670 individuals who underwent vaccination. We found 21 sources, including 2 cohort studies, 4 registry studies, 3 randomized clinical trials, and 12 case reports. Individuals included in these studies were at least 16 years old. Cari et al observed a higher likelihood of acute ischemic stroke in vaccinees aged 18–64 years, compared to Whiteley et al observing vaccinees older than 70 years when vaccinated. In addition, differences in the likelihood of acute ischemic stroke were found among the vaccines studied, although no overall increased stroke incidence was demonstrated with vaccination. Conclusion In this systematic review of the available literature, we found that the risk of acute ischemic stroke does not appear to be increased in vaccinated individuals who have received any of the currently licensed SARS-CoV-2 vaccines compared with the baseline incidence of stroke.

Background: The constantly increasing incidence of stroke in younger individuals substantiates an urgent need for research to elucidate underlying risk factors and etiologies. Heretofore, the vast majority of studies on stroke in the young have been carried out in European and North American regions. We aimed to characterize cerebrovascular risk profiles in a Saudi Arabic cohort of consecutive young stroke patients.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from consecutive ischemic stroke patients aged 15 to 49 years who underwent detailed cardiocerebrovascular evaluation at a tertiary stroke care center in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Distributions of risk factors and stroke etiologies were assessed in the entire cohort and in two strata of very young (15–40 years) and young to middle-aged patients (41–49) to account for variability in suggested age cutoffs.Results: In the entire cohort [n = 63, ages 44 (34–47) median, interquartile range], dyslipidemia (71.4%) and small vessel occlusion (31.7%) displayed highest prevalence followed by diabetes (52.4%) and cardioembolism (19%). In very young patients, cardioembolism was the most prevalent etiology (27.3%). Risk profiles were similar between both age strata except for a higher prevalence of diabetes among the older cohort (31.8 vs. 63.4%, p = 0.01). Logistic regression identified diabetes as strongest predictor for association to the older strata (odds ratio = 4.2, 95% confidence interval = 1.2–14.1, p = 0.02).Conclusion: Cerebrovascular risk profiles and stroke etiologies in our cohort of young stroke patients differ from those of previous cohorts, suggesting the need for tailored prevention strategies that take into account local epidemiological data on cerebrovascular health.