Immune mediated diseases carry an increased risk of major cardiovascular events (CV) and an increased risk of CV mortality. The increased CV risk appears to be linked directly to chronic inflammation. Various studies have demonstrated that reducing inflammation reduces the incidence of CV complications. We review the epidemiological evidence linking immune mediated diseases and increased CV risk, discuss the causal role of inflammation in the etiopathogenesis and appraise some potential benefits of specific anti-inflammatory therapies.