A 44 year-old female has a history of smoking and hypertension. How many major risk factors for coronary artery disease does she possess, excluding LDL levels?

In assessing major risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), it's important to consider each patient's personal history and health conditions. In this case, the 44-year-old female has a history of smoking and hypertension.

Smoking is a well-known risk factor for CAD as it contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and negatively impacts vascular health. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, further exacerbates this risk by causing damage to the blood vessel walls and increasing the strain on the heart.

When evaluating her risk factors, we take into account:

1. Smoking - One major risk factor.

2. Hypertension - Another major risk factor.

Excluding LDL (low-density lipoprotein) levels in this assessment means we do not consider additional factors such as cholesterol levels, family history of early CAD, age (though she is 44, which is above 45 for men and 55 for women as a risk factor), sedentary lifestyle, or diabetes, which could contribute to her overall risk profile.

Based on the evaluation, the individual possesses two distinct major risk factors (smoking and hypertension) specifically relevant to coronary artery disease, hence the reasoning for the answer.