HAMP and Epstein-Barr virus infection: Although this analysis does not allow us to conclude that EBV is the driving force activating the inflammatory pathway and the enhanced expression of hepcidin, it invites further research on this topic, placing the attention on EBV infection as a potential element influencing hepcidin levels, iron metabolism, and anemia in children and adults, and whether in the long run this is an important mechanism of undernourishment and EBV gastric carcinogenesis.