General Knowledge
Real Disease or Fake Quiz
Kuru, Morgellons, or made up? Test your medical knowledge
Kuru, Morgellons, or made up? Test your medical knowledge
Hyperthymesia — perfect autobiographical memory — has been documented in only about 60 people worldwide. The world of medicine is filled with conditions so strange that they sound made up, while writers have invented illnesses so convincingly that they feel real. The WHO ICD-11 lists more than 55,000 disease codes, and this quiz challenges you to separate genuine human conditions from clever fiction.
Each round presents 10 randomized questions from a pool of 50, with four multiple-choice options and instant feedback after every answer. Your final score comes with a performance tier and shareable results.
You'll discover prion diseases like Kuru, rare neurological conditions like Cotard's Delusion and Alien Hand Syndrome, fictional ailments from Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, controversial illnesses like Morgellons and Chronic Lyme, and outlandish-sounding real conditions such as Stone Man Syndrome, Werewolf Syndrome, and Jumping Frenchmen of Maine.
Kuru is a fatal prion disease that historically affected the Fore people of Papua New Guinea, transmitted through ritual cannibalistic funeral rites. Carleton Gajdusek won the 1976 Nobel Prize for his work establishing how it spread.
Alien Hand Syndrome is a real neurological disorder, often associated with damage to the corpus callosum, in which one hand acts seemingly of its own accord — grabbing objects or undoing actions performed by the other hand.
Morgellons is not officially recognized as a distinct medical condition. A 2012 CDC study found no infectious cause and concluded that the symptoms most closely resembled delusional parasitosis, though sufferers continue to advocate for further research.
Last updated: April 2026