الفهرس 
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Abstract
Stroke is the neurological evidence of a critical reduction of cerebral blood flow in a circumscribed part of the brain, resulting from the sudden or gradually progressing obstruction of a large brain artery.
The majority of strokes occur in adults aged > 45 years. Up to 90% of strokes are ischemic, the remainder being hemorrhagic.
The virus causing COVID-19 can enter the CNS through two different pathways: retrograde neuronal diffusion and via the blood-brain barrier. Also, the spread of COVID-19 through the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone can lead to brain involvement.
COVID-19 first emerged in December 2019, when a cluster of patients with pneumonia of unknown cause was recognized in Wuhan, China. As of July 1, 2020, SARS-CoV-2 has affected more than 200 countries, resulting in more than 10 million identified cases with 508000 confirmed deaths.
Neurological involvement has been observed in up to 36% of COVID-19 patients. In severe cases, cerebrovascular diseases are among the most prevalent comorbidities and are presented as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis.
It is also reported that COVID-19 has a role in evolving diffuse vasculopathy and vasculitis through inflammatory cell infiltration, endothelial cell damage, and endotheliopathy. All these factors can add to platelet aggregation and thrombosis.