Serum ferritin, an important indicator of iron metabolism and iron storage in the body, can be used as a marker for inflammation, anemia and tumor. Iron overload results in increased serum ferritin, and excessive iron can generate excessive free radicals through Fenton reaction, which can contribute to occurrence of vascular diseases through oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. In this paper, we reviewed the status quo of the research on iron oxidative stress in cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage and leukoaraiosis in a view to finding a way to prevent and treat cerebrovascular diseases in consideration of oxidative stress of iron.