You are participating in a health fair and performing cholesterol screens. One person has a cholesterol of 225. She is concerned about her risk for developing heart disease. Which of the following factors is used to estimate the 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease?

Estimating the 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease involves considering several risk factors, one of which is gender. Research has consistently shown that gender plays a significant role in cardiovascular risk profiles. Men typically have a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease at younger ages compared to women. However, post-menopausal women tend to experience an increase in risk, which highlights the importance of gender in assessing cardiovascular risk over time.

While factors like ethnicity and alcohol intake can influence heart disease risk, they do not have as direct or quantifiable an impact on the estimation of risk as gender does, particularly in established risk assessment models. Asthma, on the other hand, is not traditionally considered a direct risk factor for coronary heart disease in the context of these assessments.

Thus, gender remains a pivotal component in evaluating the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease, making it the appropriate choice in this scenario.