LTF and gastritis: The probable finding of this results could be due to some possible mechanism by which H. pylori affects iron metabolism by decreased absorption resulting from chronic gastritis [23], decreased gastric juice ascorbic acid concentration, increased hepcidin production associated with H. pylori gastritis, uptake of iron by H. pylori for growth, and decreased availability of iron by sequestration of iron in lactoferrin in the gastric mucosa and bacterium host competition for dietary iron supply [14].