30-day and 1-year mortality after a first myocardial infarction (MI) are both increased (OR 1.44 [95% CI 1.25–1.66] and 1.82 [95% CI 1.51–1.94], respectively) in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) versus other patients with MI, according to the results of a new population-based study conducted in Australia. Moreover, patients with AIRDs are substantially less likely than non-AIRD patients to undergo percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery within 90 days of their first MI. This difference in intervention rates might reflect the increased rates of comorbidities (such as lung, liver and kidney disease, which are also risk factors for post-MI mortality and morbidity) in the AIRD cohort. The researchers call for further studies to investigate whether inflammatory markers might help to identify patients with AIRDs at high cardiovascular risk, and to evaluate the effect of anti-inflammatory therapies on cardiovascular risk in this group.