ObjectiveTo explore the association between prediabetes and early vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) in patients with acute cerebral infarction. MethodsNon-diabetes mellitus patients with first-ever acute cerebral infarction hospitalized in the Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology between January and April 2019 were retrospectively enrolled. The enrolled patients were divided into prediabetes group and normal blood glucose group according to the level of glycosylated hemoglobin, and the patients were divided into normal cognitive function group and cognitive impairment group according to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score. The general information and clinical related data of the included patients were compared. Results A total of 129 patients were enrolled. Among them, 46 cases were in the prediabetes group and 83 cases were in the normal blood glucose group. There were 82 cases in the normal cognitive function group and 47 cases in the cognitive impairment group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the normal blood glucose group, the prediabetes group was associated with early VCI in patients with acute cerebral infarction [odds ratio (OR)=4.172, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.786, 9.754), P=0.001]; the higher the NationalInstitutes of Health Stroke Scale score at the first admission was, the higher the risk of early VCI was [OR=1.379, 95%CI (1.183, 1.650), P<0.001]. Conclusion In patients with first-ever acute cerebral infarction, prediabetes is associated with early VCI.