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Background: Smoking has been associated with low-grade systemic inflammation, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVRF). This state is reflected in elevated white blood cell count (WBC). Objective.: Analyze the relationship between smoking and WBC in blood donors, men and women, of several age groups and analyze the relationship between WBC and others traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Material and methods: Prospective cross-sectional study in 15,601 men and 2,709 women aged between 18 and 65 years. Data analyzed were smoking state and smoking intensity, other cardiovascular risk factors and WBC count. Results: 350 women (12.9%) and 5,091 (32.6%) men were smokers. In both genders, the average count of WBC/mm³ was higher in smokers than in nonsmokers (p = 0.001). WBC remains high in smokers of all age groups, from 18 to 65 years. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in WBC count according to the smoking intensity: nonsmoking versus smoking 1-4 cigarettes/day or ≥ 5 years smoking duration versus smoking ≥ 5 cigarettes/day for ≥ 5 years in men and women (p = 0.001). In bivariate analyses, others traditional cardiovascular risk factors are also associated to increased WBC count. Conclusions: Smoking was associated with elevated WBC, which remains significant in all age groups studied and in both genders. We found that a dose-response relationship exist between smoking intensity and WBC count. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]