To compare risk factors, stroke characteristics, and short-term prognosis between diabetic and nondiabetic young ischemic stroke patients to provide information for patient management, counseling, and future research in these patient groups.All consecutive patients between the ages of 18 and 45 years with first-ever cerebral infarction during 2001–2010 were recruited to participate in the study. Using multivariate logistic regression modeling, demographic characteristics, cerebrovascular risk factors, clinical events, stroke subtypes, and outcome in ischemic stroke patients with and without diabetes were compared.Logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounders confirmed the following independent susceptibility markers: in a substudy of young patients with and without diabetes, the predictors of short-term outcome were more likely to be TOAST subtype, initial stroke severity and serum uric acid, and age at onset, dyslipidemia, initial stroke severity and serum fibron levels correlate with a higher risk for incident stroke in young with diabetes.Our findings suggest that diabetic and nondiabetic ischemic stroke patients exhibit a distinct risk-factor and etiologic profile and may help clinicians to assess prognosis more accurately.